LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


d- 


MURIEL  STERLING. 


Schloss,  K.  Y. 


MRS.  FLETCHER  WEBSTER  JEWELL 


Muriel  Sterling 


A   TALE   OF   THE 
AFRICAN  VELDT 


By 

MRS.  FLETCHER  WEBSTER  JEWELL 


NEW  YORK 

International  Book  and  Publishing  Company 
1900 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


COPYRIGHT,  1900 
By  A.  IRENE  JEWELL 


A II  rights  reserved 


INTRODUCTION. 

BY  THE  HON.  PATRICK  A.  COLLINS,  LATE  UNITED  STATES 
CONSUL  AT  LONDON. 


RECENT  events,  tragic  and  deplorable,  have  cen 
tred  the  world's  gaze  upon  South  Africa.  What 
ever  be  the  outcome  of  the  present  unhappy  con 
test,  the  country,  its  people,  institutions,  and 
characteristics,  will  now  be  as  well  known  as 
Central  Europe.  But  a  very  short  time  ago  it 
was  practically  less  familiar  to  most  readers  than 
was  Central  Africa,  the  heart  of  the  dark  conti 
nent,  for  upon  the  latter  the  lights  of  Du  Chaillu, 
Livingstone,  and  Stanley  had  been  flashed.  I 
shared  the  common  knowledge  and  general  ignor 
ance  about  the  South,  until  one  long  pleasant 
afternoon  in  London  I  got  my  first  true  glimpse  of 
the  land,  its  people — or  rather  peoples — and  the 
cloud  that  was  forming  over  them,  and  which  has 
since  burst  in  fury.  It  was  in  May,  1896,  and  in 


INTRODUCTION. 

the  old  city  palace  of  Richard  III.,  now  no  longer 
dedicated  to  plots  and  conspiracies,  but  given  over 
to  eating  and  drinking — apparently  the  chief  oc 
cupation  of  the  denizens  of  the  world's  great 
metropolis.  Our  little  party  consisted  of  the 
author  of  this  book,  her  husband,  a  distinguished 
member  of  the  Transvaal  Volksraad,  and  myself. 
Mrs.  Jewell  had  accompanied  her  husband  to  South 
Africa,  where  he  engaged  in  business,  and  lived 
in  Johannesburg,  the  magic  city,  that  so  suddenly 
rose  on  the  wonderful  ridge  of  gold.  Needless  to 
say,  as  true  Americans,  they  lived,  and  acted,  and 
thought  in  the  best  currents  that  ran  through  the 
republic  and  its  neighbors,  through  the  little  capi 
tal  an  hour's  ride  away  by  rail  as  well  as  in  the 
alien  golden  city.  The  wounded  men  of  Jame 
son's  band  and  of  the  Boer  commandos  that  checked 
the  famous  raid  were  brought  to  Krugersdorp, 
where  a  field  hospital  was  established,  and  where 
Mrs.  Jewell,  first  in  the  field,  acted  as  nurse. 
Shortly  after,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jewell  came  to  the 
United  States,  returning  to  South  Africa  by  way 
of  London,  and  were  just  on  the  eve  of  departure 
on  the  May  day  mentioned,  bearing  the  great 


INTRODUCTION. 

petition  from  America  to  President  Kruger  to 
spare  the  forfeited  life  of  John  Hays  Hammond. 
The  story  opens  just  before  the  raid,  and  ends  in 
good  time  happily,  as  all  good  stories  do.  Many 
of  the  facts  through  which  the  love  story  runs 
were  mentioned  in  my  presence  in  old  Crosby 
Hall,  and  may  be  taken  to  be  not  only  true,  but 
accurately  reported,  as  some  true  facts  are  not.  It 
may  be  added  also  that  the  love  story  itself  has 
fact  for  a  foundation.  As  a  compatriot  of  the  fair 
author  I  most  heartily  bid  Godspeed  to  her  con 
tribution  to  the  literature  of  South  Africa. 

PATRICK  A.  COLLINS. 


MURIEL  STERLING. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IT  was  the  last  day  of  the  Johannesburg  races ; 
the  time,  December  28,  1895.  The  vast  throng 
at  the  race  track  was  on  a  very  tiptoe  of  enjoy 
ment.  Despite  an  accident  to  the  starting  ma 
chine,  the  different  events  were  being  run  off  with 
comparative  smoothness,  and  now  the  horses  were 
at  it. 

A  blare  of  music  and  a  burst  of  applause  an 
nounced  another  contest  for  superiority. 

"  Lammas !  Lammas !  "  shouted  fair  women, 
rising  in  their  seats  to  wave  their  handkerchiefs 
at  the  doughty  animal  of  that  name,  who  was  mak 
ing  a  gallant  struggle  to  retain  the  slight  lead  he 
had  gained. 

"  Lammas !  Lammas ! "  the  echo  went,  a  wave 
3 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

of  sound,  gathering  strength  as  it  proceeded  from 
the  select  hundreds  on  the  grand  stand  of  the  Turf 
Club,  down  through  the  thousands,  who,  less  for 
tunate,  were  obliged  to  content  themselves  with 
seats  on  the  general  stands,  until  it  faded  away 
into  nothingness  after  passing  through  the  throng, 
in  carriages  and  on  foot,  who  hugged  the  fenced 
enclosure  of  the  track  itself. 

"  No !  no !  "  came  a  contradictory  return  echo. 
"  See  that  little  fellow  in  the  green  and  yellow ! 
Watch  him  forge  ahead.  Yah !  Yah !  Go  in  and 
win ! " 

"Lammas!  Lammas!"  burst  forth  the  sup 
porters  of  the  favorite  as  he  regained  the  ground 
he  had  lost  and  pushed  his  nose  again  to  the 
front. 

And  Lammas  it  was.  Then  the  crowd  resumed 
their  seats  to  rest  from  the  fatigue  brought  on  by 
each  burst  of  excitement,  and  to  buzz  with  query, 
criticism  or  comment. 

The  Christmas  races  are  the  greatest  episodes 
in  Johannesburg,  and  the  Johannesburg  races,  it 
may  be  parenthetically  remarked,  are  the  greatest 
in  all  South  Africa.  The  races  at  Cape  Town, 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

Durban  and  Pretoria  are  magnificent  events  in 
their  way,  but  those  at  Johannesburg  are  fairly 
magnetic.  The  scene  is  the  English  Derby  or 
the  American  Futurity — on  a  somewhat  smaller 
scale,  perhaps — but  supplying  in  animation  and 
interest  what  it  lacks  in  point  of  numbers. 
While  they  are  on,  business  becomes  a  side 
issue,  and  receives  only  such  attention  as  is  abso 
lutely  demanded.  The  race  track,  situated  on  a 
broad  plain  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  becomes  a 
marvellous  panorama  of  life  and  color.  The  mag 
nificent  costumes  of  the  ladies,  the  white  umbrellas 
of  the  bookmakers,  and  the  gay  colors  of  the  jock 
eys  form  a  kaleidoscopic  combination  accentuated 
by  the  brilliancy  of  the  sunshine  and  the  clearness 
of  the  atmosphere  in  that  part  of  the  world. 

A  buzz  of  unusual  interest  went  about  the  Turf 
Club  balcony  as  a  bright-colored  brake,  drawn 
by  four  beautiful  bay  horses,  was  driven  on  the 
grounds,  and  a  jolly  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen 
alighted. 

"  Who  are  the  strangers  with  Mrs.  Brunelle  ?  " 
asked  one  of  the  ladies  on  the  stand,  leaning  over 
and  nudging  a  neighbor. 

5 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"Why,  don't  you  know?  "  asked  the  other,  de 
lighted  at  the  opportunity  and  the  ability  to  sup 
ply  the  desired  information.  "Well,  there  is 
Lord  and  Lady  Stanmore,  Lord  Popham,  Miss 
Dare  and  Miss  St.  John  and  Miss  Sterling,  a 
Mr.  Weiss,  and " 

"Why,  that's  Mr.  Kooste  with  them,  is  it 
not?" 

"  Yes,  Kooste  is  quite  interested  in  one  of  the 
young  ladies.  Stopped  a  runaway  for  her  re 
cently." 

"Indeed!  I  have  quite  lost  track  of  events 
while  at  Cape  Town." 

"  Oh,  yes ;  Kooste  is  a  sort  of  a  fidus  Achates 
since  then !  The  fact  that  he  is  a  Boer  and  that 
there  are  rumors  of  trouble  in  the  air  makes  no 
difference.  Lady  Stanmore  brought  her  friends 
down  here  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  the  country, 
enjoying  the  holidays,  and  getting  away  from 
England  during  the  cold  weather." 

Meanwhile  the  newcomers  had  taken  luncheon 
at  the  club,  and  had  come  out  on  the  grand  stand, 
where  they  became  the  objects  on  which  hundreds 

of  inquiring  eyes  were  focussed. 

6 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"What  a  beautiful  scene!"  ejaculated  Lady 
Stanmore,  as  she  viewed  the  picture  spread  out 
before  her  gaze — the  magnificently  dressed  throng 
about  her,  the  track  lying  almost  at  her  feet,  the 
excited  thousands  in  the  immediate  perspective,  and 
the  brilliant  background,  miles  and  miles  away, 
where  the  bright  sunshine  and  the  clear  atmos 
phere  seemed  to  combine  into  a  vibrating  glitter. 

"  Enchanting ! "  echoed  Miss  St.  John  in 
ecstatic  appreciation. 

"  Ya-as,  never  would  have  imagined  such  a  sight 
in  this  out-of-the-way  corner  of  the  world,  y' 
know,"  chimed  in  Lord  Popham,  for  the  moment 
roused  out  of  his  habitual  air  of  ennui,  and  ad 
justing  his  monocle  so  as  to  take  a  fresh  squint  at 
the  scene. 

"  It  is  indeed  charming,"  continued  Miss  St. 
John.  "See  the  sun!  It  looks  like  a  great 
golden  ball  slowly  sinking  into  a  cave  behind  the 
hills  yonder. " 

"  Let's  go  look  for  dat  ball.  Ve  ought  to  make 
our  fortunes  mit  him  melted  up  as  olt  golt,  eh?" 
chuckled  Mr.  Weiss,  elated  at  his  practical  roman 
ticism.  Mr.  Weiss  was  realistic  even  in  romance. 

7 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

He  had  made  some  millions  out  of  a  capital  of 
racial  shrewdness  and  energy.  Some  said  this 
capital  consisted  in  part,  at  least,  of  more  shady 
material — but  that's  another  story.  The  fact  of 
his  millions  overshadowed  any  possible  fictions 
regarding  the  methods  by  which  they  were  ac 
quired,  and  he  found  them  desirable  stepping- 
stones  to  various  social  eminences.  Lord  Stan- 
more  had  invited  him  because  of  obligations  in 
a  business  sense,  which  would  not  permit  the 
casual  brushing  aside  of  the  broad  hint  which 
induced  the  invitation.  It  must  be  added,  how 
ever,  that  Mr.  Weiss,  with  all  his  faults,  was  an 
entertaining  travelling  companion,  although  not 
always  aware  of  the  fact. 

Muriel  Sterling,  the  remaining  member  of  Lady 
Stanmore's  party,  had  expressed  no  opinion  re 
garding  the  beauties  of  the  scene  spread  out  be 
fore  her  gaze,  although  she  was  not  blind  to  their 
charms. 

"  Yes,  this  is  typical  of  the  place,"  Kooste  was 
saying.  "  The  money  comes  quickly  and  goes  as 
quickly.  The  spirit  of  adventure  and  speculation 
pervades  this,  as  it  does  everything  else.  Now 


A  TALE   OF   THE   AFRICAN   VELDT, 
watch  this  heat,"  he  added.      "It   is  a  decisive 


one." 


The  buzz  in  conversation  ceased  as  the  horses 
pranced  about  the  starting-point,  their  riders  jock 
eying  for  position,  and  rose  to  another  burst  of 
applause  as  the  rival  horses  finally  darted  off. 

"  See  the  bookmakers  ! "  he  said,  pointing  to 
the  bobbing  white  umbrellas  under  which  busy 
men  were  taking  notes  of  bets  offered.  "They 
do  business  out  there  in  the  open,  notwithstanding 
other  forms  of  gambling  are  reproved.  The  pro 
ceeding  is  countenanced  by  the  government — yes, 
it  is  even  invited,  because  it  is  a  source  of  profit. 
That  is  one  of  the  accompaniments  of  the  race 
track. 

"  And  there  is  another,"  he  added,  pointing  to  a 
low,  long  building  of  corrugated  iron  which  occu 
pied  a  prominent  position  within  the  grounds. 
"  See  the  stream  going  into  that  place  ?  Well, 
that  is  a  totalizator,  of  which  you  may  have  heard 
— a  sort  of  a  gigantic  pool.  That  is  another  form 
of  betting — a  monopoly  legalized  by  the  govern 
ment  for  a  consideration.  The  women  are  as 
eager  to  gamble  as  the  men;  in  fact,  I  am  not 

9 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

sure  but  they  are  the  most  enthusiastic  plungers. 
There,  the  race  is  over.  Now  come  the  patrons 
of  the  totalizator  to  gather  in  the  results  of  their 
luck.  The  bookmakers  will  not  settle  here. 
They  will  meet  later  at  Tattersall's,  a  sort  of  a 
clearing-house  for  bets,  where  the  unlucky  ones 
will  cash  in  and  the  lucky  ones  will  receive  the 
results  of  their  ventures." 

Kooste  was  the  special  mentor  of  Miss  Sterling. 
This  fact,  in  addition  to  his  presence  with  the 
party,  had  caused  comment,  although  the  one  ex 
plained  the  other.  There  was  some  association  of 
Outlanders  and  Boers  in  the  city,  but  during  the 
strained  period  of  the  few  months  preceding  the 
opening  of  this  story  the  lines  had  been  drawn  so 
sharply  as  to  indicate  with  terrible  distinctness 
the  racial  limitations.  Kooste  was  a  man  of 
standing  and  education,  however,  and  commanded 
the  respect  of  the  Outlanders.  He  had  a  large 
farm  at  Potchefstroom,  but  he  spent  a  great  deal 
of  his  time  at  Johannesburg,  where  he  had  estab 
lished  large  commercial  interests.  Like  most  of 
his  countrymen  he  was  a  notable  horseman,  and 
one  morning,  a  few  days  before,  he  had  rescued 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

Lady  Stanmore  and  Muriel  from  a  dangerous  pre 
dicament.  Out  of  this  accidental  acquaintance 
had  grown  a  warm  friendship. 

The  two  ladies  had  started  out  for  a  short  drive, 
and,  with  all  the  enthusiasm  and  self-reliance  of 
adventurous  Englishwomen,  declined  an  escort, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  their  light  cart  was 
drawn  by  a  spirited  pony.  For  the  first  few  miles 
they  revelled  in  unalloyed  enjoyment.  Lady 
Stanmore  was  an  excellent  whip,  and  all  went  well 
until 

She  never  was  able  to  tell  exactly  how  it  hap 
pened,  but  in  a  moment  her  pony,  startled  at  a 
piece  of  paper  which  the  breeze  whisked  in  front 
of  its  feet,  shied,  dashed  from  the  road,  and  raced 
across  the  country  with  a  speed  born  of  a  terror 
which  Lady  Stanmore  found  herself  powerless  to 
subdue.  The  two  women  became  panic-stricken 
as  the  affrighted  animal  dashed  on,  and  it  required 
their  best  efforts  to  retain  their  seats  in  the  plung 
ing,  jolting  cart.  Suddenly  something  whisked 
past  them.  A  moment  later  the  speed  of  the 
pony  was  checked,  and  he  was  brought  up  on 

his  haunches   on  the  brink  of  one  of  the   dan- 

ii 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

gerous  spruits,  or  ground  crevices,  with  which 
the  country  abounds,  and  into  which  they 
would  in  all  probability  have  been  pitched  head 
long  but  for  the  assistance  so  providentially 
rendered. 

"  I  trust  that  you  are  not  injured,  ladies,"  said 
a  deep  voice  at  the  pony's  head.  Their  rescuer 
had  dismounted  from  his  own  animal,  and  stood 
with  one  hand  on  the  pony's  bridle,  while  with 
the  other  he  patted  its  glistening  neck  in  order  to 
reassure  the  frightened  beast.  Meanwhile  the 
two  women  were  trying  to  recover  from  their  fright, 
and  found  the  reaction  almost  as  overpowering  as 
the  danger  itself.  Muriel  was  the  first  to  recover 
her  voice. 

"  No ;  thanks  to  you,  we  have  sustained  no 
more  injury  than  a  severe  fright.  Oh,  dear!  I 
have  hardly  strength  to  alight." 

"Nor  have  I,"  gasped  Lady  Stanmore.  "Oh, 
how  can  we  ever  thank  you  for  your  assistance?  " 
she  continued,  gradually  getting  control  of  her 
feeling  from  a  point  where  she  had  been  on  the 
verge  of  hysterics.  "  But  for  you  we  should  have 
been  killed,"  she  added,  covering  her  face  with 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

her  hands,  as  if  to  shut  out  from  her  gaze  the  pic 
ture  of  that  dreadful  possibility. 

"  I  beg  that  you  will  think  no  more  of  it,"  re 
turned  the  stranger.  "  If  I  have  been  of  service 
to  you  I  am  grateful  for  the  privilege." 

Then  he  softly  lectured  the  pony  while  the  two 
women  gradually  regained  their  composure. 

"  There ! "  he  said,  after  a  few  moments  had 
passed.  "The  pony  seems  quite  tractable  now. 
Would  you  dare  drive  him  again,  or  can  I  assist 
you  back  to  the  town  ?  " 

"Yes,  I'll  drive  him  again,"  said  Lady  Stan- 
more,  seizing  the  reins  with  grim  determination, 
and  mounting  to  the  seat  she  had  so  recently 
vacated.  "  Nasty  little  beast !  He  caught  me  off 
my  guard,  or  he  never  would  have  got  away  with 
us." 

"  Then  I'll  surrender  him  to  you  and  bid  you 
'  good-morning ' — unless  I  can  be  of  further  ser 
vice  to  you." 

"  But  you  will  at  least  let  us  know  to  whom  we 
are  indebted  for  this  great  service,"  insisted  Mu 
riel,  running  forward  as  if  the  stranger  were  about 
to  depart  as  suddenly  as  he  had  come.  "  We  are 

'3 


MURIEL    STERLING. 

so  frightened  that  really  we  are  acting  like  sav 
ages.  We  feel  under  an  extreme  obligation  to 
you.  A  minute  more  and  it  meant  broken  bones, 
and  perhaps  our  lives.  I  hope  that  you  do  not 
regard  us  as  unmindful  of  that  fact,  but  we  are  so 
agitated  that  the  recollection  of  our  danger  crowds 
every  other  idea  out  of  our  heads." 

"  Oh,  you  exaggerate  the  importance  of  my 
slight  assistance !  "  the  stranger  modestly  replied. 
"  I  would  not  have  you  feel  that  you  are  under 
any  obligation  on  that  account.  I  assure  you  that 
the  privilege  of  having  been  of  assistance  to  you 
is  sufficient  compensation.  I  may  introduce  my 
self  as  Jan  Kooste,  however.  I  was  enjoying  a 
ride  before  going  to  business  when  I  saw  your 
pony  bolt.  I  noticed  that  he  had  the  bit  in  his 
teeth,  and  I  knew  that  there  was  danger  if  he  per 
sisted  in  his  crosscountry  run.  Now,  if  you  have 
decided  to  return  to  the  city,  it  would  give  me 
great  pleasure  to  escort  you,  if  I  may  be  per 
mitted." 

"  We  should  be  delighted  to  have  you,"  replied 
both  women  in  a  breath. 

"  We  may  need  your  assistance  again,"  added 
14 


A  TALE  OP  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

Lady  Stanmore,  with  a  nervous  laugh.  "  But  if  he 
gets  away  from  me  again,  it  will  be  for  some  other 
reason  than  careless  driving."  And  she  gripped 
the  reins  and  braced  herself  in  the  cart  to  empha 
size  her  new  determination.  Kooste  led  the  pony 
by  the  bridle  while  retracing  the  course  to  the 
main  road,  and  then,  surrendering  him  to  the 
guidance  of  Lady  Stanmore,  rode  alongside  the 
carriage.  As  they  progressed,  Muriel  found  her 
self  scrutinizing  the  appearance  of  their  rescuer. 
He  had  the  dress  and  manners  of  a  gentlemen,  and 
he  was  a  Boer,  judging  from  this  introduction. 
His  name  furnished  a  basis  for  that  assumption, 
and  found  additional  confirmation  in  the  tall,  mus 
cular  figure,  crowned  by  a  firmly  set  head  and  a 
somewhat  heavy  Dutch  face. 

A  pair  of  expressive  gray  eyes  lighted  up  the 
otherwise  immobile  countenance.  There  was  a 
sturdy  strength  and  self-reliant  manliness  in  his 
every  movement,  and  although  it  was  clear  that  he 
inherited  many  of  the  characteristics  of  his  Dutch 
forefathers,  it  was  also  clear  that  education  and 
opportunities  for  travel,  building  on  a  solid  basis 
of  honest  living,  had  dissipated  many  of  the  nar- 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

row  prejudices  of  his  race  and  produced  a  type  of 
which  any  nation  might  be  proud. 

At  the  gate  of  Mrs.  Brunelle's  residence  he 
left  them,  and  proceeded  on  his  way  to  "The 
Chains,"  but  not  until  he  had  received  an  intima 
tion  that  his  presence  as  a  caller  would  be  more 
than  agreeable,  and  had  promised  to  accept  the 
invitation  so  cordially  extended.  Little  did  Mu 
riel  dream  that  this  chance  acquaintance  would 
lead  them  both,  as  actors,  into  one  of  the  most 
dramatic  episodes  of  the  century;  but  the  ways 
of  an  inscrutable  Providence  sometimes  evolve 
heroes  and  heroines  out  of  very  modest  and  retir 
ing  material,  and  transform  apparently  insignifi 
cant  events  into  epochs  which  change  the  whole 
course  of  empire. 

And  here  on  the  grand-stand,  although  neither 
realized  it,  the  prologue  was  about  to  be  played. 


16 


CHAPTER  II. 

"!F  you  find  this  gold,  Mr.  Weiss,  I  hope  it 
will  be  beyond  the  borders  of  the  Transvaal,"  re 
marked  Kooste,  replying  in  an  aside  to  the  for 
mer's  expressed  wish. 

"  Vy  so  ?  "  queried  Mr.  Weiss. 

"  Because  gold  has  been  to  the  Transvaal  more 
of  a  curse  than  a  blessing." 

"A  curse!  "  Weiss  echoed.  " Vy,  vhere  vould 
ve  pe  to-day  but  for  id?  Not  at  dis  race,  cert'nly. 
An'  vhere  vouldt  your  city  of  Yohannesburg  pe  ? 
Vy,  novhere.  Is  it  not  so  ?  " 

"  Well,  if  you  think  this  race  track  and  Johan 
nesburg  the  sublimest  things  in  creation,  I  grant 
that  my  remark  loses  force,"  replied  Kooste,  with 
a  dry  smile.  "  But  I  still  think  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  this  country  to  have  been  a  curse  to  it. 
Our  predecessors  were  wise  beyond  their  genera 
tion  when  they  paid  the  original  discoverer  a 
liberal  bonus  to  leave  the  country  and  never  men- 

17 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

tion  his  discovery.  It  was  not  that  they  wanted 
the  gold,  but  they  knew  the  troubles  it  would 
bring,  and  they  preferred  to  have  it  remain  in  the 
ground,  rather  than  to  run  the  risks  that  would 
be  entailed  by  an  influx  of  fortune  hunters. " 

"But  how  has  it  been  a  curse?"  asked  Muriel. 
"  From  all  that  I  have  heard  it  has  done  a  great 
deal  to  develop  the  place.  I  know  it  is  said  that 
money  is  the  root  of  all  evil,  but  still,  we  all 
realize  that  it  is  productive  of  a  great  deal  of 
good. " 

"Granted,"  replied  Kooste.  "I  did  not  say 
that  it  was  altogether  a  curse.  You  will  remem 
ber  that  I  applied  my  remarks  to  the  Transvaal, 
and  limited  them  to  the  statement  that  so  far  as 
this  country  is  concerned  I  regard  the  discovery 
of  gold  more  of  a  curse  than  a  blessing." 

"But  how?"  persisted  Muriel. 

"  Well,  in  many  ways,"  he  answered.  "  I  did 
not  mean  to  open  up  a  discussion  on  this  point 
when  I  made  the  remark,  but  since  you  press  me 
for  a  reason,  I  don't  mind  answering  you.  It  has 
made  the  Boers  dissatisfied  with  their  own  condi 
tion.  It  has  attracted  a  horde  of  foreigners,  many 

18 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

of  them  honorable  men  and  women,  to  be  sure,  but 
many  more  of  whom  as  much  cannot  be  said. 
You  say  they  have  developed  Johannesburg. 
True.  But  has  that  been  simply  a  philanthropic 
idea  ?  Don't  these  very  men  send  out  of  the  coun 
try  a  hundred  times  as  much  as  they  leave  in  it  ? 
Few  come  here  for  the  purpose  of  settling.  Per 
manent  residents  who  were  willing  to  make  this 
country  their  country,  and  to  bring  up  their  chil 
dren  as  its  citizens,  we  would  welcome.  But  few 
come  here  to  settle.  They  want  to  make  their 
fortunes  in  a  hurry  and  then  depart.  If  the  gold 
should  fail  they  would  abandon  the  place  with  as 
little  concern  as  one  throws  away  a  cigar  stump. 
In  the  mean  time,  their  pursuit  of  pounds,  shil 
lings  and  pence  causes  them  to  overlook  many  of 
the  considerations  of  right  and  justice." 

"  Supposing  the  Outlanders  had  never  come  to 
Johannesburg,  how  much  would  it  have  amounted 
to  ?"  asked  Mr.  Brunelle,  attracted  by  the  general 
discussion  of  this  topic. 

"Very  little;  there  is  no  doubt  of  that,"  an 
swered  Kooste.  "  And  yet,  Mr.  Brunelle,  you  and 
I  know  that  there  is  a  side  to  Johannesburg  that 

T9 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

would  have  been  better  had  some  of  these  people 
never  come." 

"  Oh,  that  is  undoubtedly  true  if  one  is  to  con 
sider  details  and  overlook  the  broad  general  ques 
tion.  You  cite  only  one  side,  and  that  the 
disagreeable  side.  The  same  objections  might  be 
brought  against  any  city.  In  fact,  I  think  there 
are  few  cities  of  such  proportionately  rapid  growth 
as  Johannesburg  which  are  so  well  conducted. 
Why  don't  you  mention  the  bright  side  of  the  pic 
ture  ? — the  splendid  public  buildings,  which  are  the 
results  of  the  genius  of  the  Outlanders  and  of  the 
taxes  which  they  pay,  without  being  permitted  a 
word  as  to  how  these  taxes  shall  be  expended. 
Yet  the  Boers  control  every  public  office,  and  in 
sist  that  the  government  shall  be  conducted  on  a 
basis  that  was  passe  a  hundred  years  ago.  You 
also  put  restrictions  on  religion  and  education 
which  no  man  can  submit  to  without  irritation  and 
which  makes  your  so-called  republic  a  mockery. " 

"  There  is  force  in  some  of  the  points  you  have 
raised,  Mr.  Brunelle,"  replied  Kooste,  "but  let 
me  ask  you  this :  Suppose  the  existence  of  gold  in 
England  should  attract  a  lot  of  Boers,  Frenchmen, 

20 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

Germans,  and  Americans,  and  they  should  express 
dissatisfaction  with  the  existing  methods  of  gov 
ernment,  after  building  a  city  in  which  they  con 
stituted  a  large  majority,  what  would  your  coun 
trymen  do  ?  Invite  them  to  leave,  if  they  didn't 
like  it,  wouldn't  they?  " 

"  Quite  likely.  But  you  have  been  in  England 
and  you  know  that  the  conditions  are  not  parallel, 
and  that  the  situation  you  have  pictured  is  not  a 
probable  one.  You  would  not  find  such  harsh 
governmental  conditions  there,  nor  such  wholesale 
corruption." 

"  There  can  be  no  corruption  without  a  corrup- 
tor.  It  takes  two  to  make  such  a  bargain." 

"  That  may  all  be.  But  you  know  that  some 
of  your  politicians,  without  any  advances  from 
outsiders,  are  constantly  scheming  to  divert  fran 
chises  for  their  own  personal  benefit  ?  " 

"  Ah,  but  the  advances  generally  do  come  from 
outsiders,  Mr.  Brunelle!  That  is  where  the 
difficulty  lies.  And  you  should  not  be  too  hard 
on  a  poor  farmer  elected  to  the  Volksraad,  who 
yields  his  little  vote  when  offered  a  sum  of  money 
so  large  that  his  previous  comprehension  could 

21 


MURIEL    STERLING. 

never  realize  that  so  much  existed  in  one  place. 
Now  if  the  Outlanders  are  really  sincere  in  their 
desire  to  take  a  part  in  the  government  of  the 
country,  for  the  good  of  the  country,  why  don't 
they  take  advantage  of  the  laws  which  permit 
them  to  become  citizens  ?  " 

"  But  that  law  is  purposely  framed  to  obstruct 
that  possibility." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  I  think  you  miscon 
strue  it." 

"  Why,  hasn't  the  residential  requirement  been 
extended  from  two  to  fourteen  years  within  my 
memory? " 

"  Yes,  but  surely  a  man  should  become  accli 
mated  before  he  is  allowed  to  become  a  citizen. 
The  United  States,  with  its  immense  native 
population,  and  which  is  constantly  receiving  an 
immigration  population  which  intends  to  remain 
permanently  in  the  country,  requires  a  five  years' 
residence,  and  is  talking  of  increasing  even  that. " 

"  But  does  the  United  States  require  the  con 
sent  of  its  native  population  to  the  granting  of 
citizenship  to  a  newcomer,  and  does  it  dictate  to 
him  any  special  form  of  church  belief  or  practice 

22 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

before  it  will  permit  that  citizen  to  become  a  part 
of  the  government  ?  " 

"No;  but  it  does  require  that  a  citizen  shall 
forswear  allegiance  to  any  other  government,  and 
that  is  just  what  the  Outlanders  here,  particularly 
the  English,  decline  to  do.  They  want  to  occupy 
the  dual  position  of  citizens  of  the  South  African 
Republic  and  subjects  of  the  Queen.  The  result 
would  be  that  one  of  these  days  they  would,  by 
mere  force  of  voting  numbers,  move  to  transform 
this  country  to  a  dominion  of  Great  Britain. 
That  is  what  we  fear,  Mr.  Brunelle,  and  even  as 
an  Englishman  you  cannot  deny  that  there  is  some 
ground  for  that  fear.  No  government  is  absolute 
ly  perfect,  and  I  am  free  to  admit  that  ours  is  a 
long  way  from  perfection.  I  realize  the  justice  of 
some  of  your  objections,  but  you  know  that  some 
of  us  are  working,  even  now,  to  soften  some  of 
these  conditions.  In  the  end  I  think  we  shall 
succeed ;  but  it  will  take  time,  because  it  is  diffi 
cult  to  bring  about  radical  changes  in  the  minds 
of  people  who  think  slowly,  whose  environment 
has  had  a  tendency  to  narrow  rather  than  to 
broaden,  and  whose  memory  is  filled  with  certain 

23 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

fears,  which  are  not  entirely  baseless.  I  do  not 
mean  to  have  my  remarks  taken  in  a  personal 
sense.  If  you,  on  the  one  hand,  and  I  on  the 
other,  had  the  power  to  effect  a  reconstruction,  I 
believe  we  could  do  so  on  a  basis  that  would  be 
absolutely  satisfactory." 

"  I  believe  you,  Kooste,  I  believe  you,"  was 
Brunelle's  hearty  rejoinder.  "  Of  course  you 
understand  that  I  wasn't  addressing  you  in  any 
personal  sense,  and  I  agree  with  you  that  if  the 
hotheads  on  both  sides  could  be  subdued,  a  rea 
sonable  reconstruction  could  be  effected  and 
much  of  the  present  friction  avoided.  I  still 
think,  however,  that  we  have  substantial  ground 
for  complaint,  and  the  difficulty  is  that  these  com 
plaints,  however  well  founded,  seem  to  fall  upon 
deaf  ears,  so  far  as  the  government  is  con 
cerned." 

"  Gentlemen,  here  is  the  best  race  of  the  day," 
broke  in  Miss  Dare,  who  had  no  interest  in 
a  political  discussion  and  feared  its  growing 
warmth.  "  I  propose  a  pool  on  it.  Do  you  all 
agree?" 

They  did,  with  a  vengeance. 
24 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"Then  what  say  you  to  a  pound  apiece?  I'll 
take  Languid." 

"  Oh,  you're  selecting  the  favorite !  "  objected 
Mrs.  Brunelle. 

"  But  they  tell  me  that  Forest  King  has  been 
pushing  him  close  on  the  circuit.  I'd  just  as  soon 
take  Forest  King. " 

"No,  no.  You  had  first  choice.  You  take 
Languid.  Some  of  the  others  may  select  Forest 
King." 

"  I'll  hold  the  stakes  and  call  a  bookie,"  sug 
gested  Mr.  Brunelle. 

"  No,  no.  Let  us  put  it  in  the  totalizator.  It 
will  be  more  exciting,  and  we  won't  have  to  wait 
for  a  settlement.  You  take  the  money  down  to 
the  totalizator,  Mr.  Brunelle,"  suggested  Miss 
Dare. 

Mr.  Brunelle  complied  with  the  request  and 
then  resumed  his  seat  to  watch  the  great  race. 
The  riders  cantered  around  the  starting-point  for 
a  few  moments.  Finally  the  word  was  given, 
and  off  they  went — a  whirlwind  of  shouting, 
whipping  Centaurs.  As  they  tore  over  the  course 
they  were  encouraged  by  the  shouts  of  their  favor- 

25 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

ites  and  pandemonium  reigned.  A  final  shout,  a 
lashing  of  whips,  a  cheer,  and  the  race  was  over. 

"  I've  won,"  shrieked  Miss  Dare  in  her  delight. 
Then  the  spoils  were  divided. 

During  the  progress  of  the  race  Kooste  had 
been  called  away  from  the  group  on  the  grand 
stand,  but  he  soon  returned  and  beckoned  Mr.  Bru- 
nelle  aside. 

"  I've  got  bad  news,"  he  whispered.  "  I  fear  that 
there  is  to  be  a  sudden  sequel  to  our  remarks  of 
this  afternoon.  I  wish  the  matter  to  be  considered 
confidential,  so  far  as  possible,  but  I  feel  that  I 
owe  it  to  you  and  my  other  friends  here  to  warn 
you  of  danger.  The  fact  is,  I've  just  been  com 
mandeered." 

"Good  God!  is  that  so?"  asked  Brunelle, 
turning  pale. 

"  Yes ;  the  field  cornet  has  just  sent  a  messen 
ger  for  me  with  orders  to  report  at  once.  I  have 
seen  several  other  Boers  summoned  also. " 

"What  is  the  difficulty?" 

"There  is  a  suspicion  of  an  uprising  of  the 
Outlanders.  The  Boers  are  excited  because  of 

their  attitude   regarding  the   demand   they  have 

26 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

sent  to  the  President,  and  the  government  has  in 
formation  that  a  plot  is  ready  to  develop  in  Johan 
nesburg.  For  God's  sake,  leave  the  place  at  once. 
I  would  not  be  surprised  to  hear  at  any  moment 
an  order  for  its  bombardment,  for  information  has 
come  that  the  residents  are  secretly  arming  and 
mean  to  try  and  overturn  the  government.  Go 
now,  while  it  is  possible,  and  urge  your  friends 
to  start  without  delay.  There  is  no  time  to  lose. 
See,"  he  added,  pointing  to  the  groups  rising  here 
and  there  about  the  race  track,  "the  secret  is 
already  known.  The  presence  of  the  messenger 
has  attracted  their  attention,  and  hundreds  who 
have  surmised  the  reason  for  his  presence  are 
leaving  the  track. " 

His  remarks  received  substantial  confirmation. 
Men  were  hastily  notifying  women,  and  little 
groups  were  departing  for  their  carriages.  The 
excitement  increased  until  it  extended  to  the  en 
tire  assemblage.  The  interest  in  the  races  was 
lost.  The  impulse  of  everybody  seemed  to  be  to 
leave  with  the  least  possible  delay. 

"I'll  excuse  myself  to  my  friends  without  tell 
ing  them  the  whole  truth,"  Kooste  continued.  "  I 

27 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

do  not  want  needlessly  to  frighten  them.  But  I 
will  depend  on  you  to  see  that  they  lose  no  time 
in  getting  away  from  here  and  leaving  the  coun 
try,  for  a  while,  at  least.  No  one  can  tell  the  ex 
tent  of  the  danger.  I  will  go  down  and  arrange 
transportation  for  them  by  Monday's  train,  if  you 
so  desire.  There  will  be  a  tremendous  crush, 
but  I  think  my  influence  will  suffice  to  secure  you 
accommodations.  I'll  try  and  see  them  again  be 
fore  they  start.  In  the  mean  time,  use  your  best 
endeavors  to  hasten  their  going.  This  is  one  of 
the  blessings  of  gold,"  he  bitterly  added.  "  God 
only  knows  where  this  trouble  is  going  to  end ;  I 
hope  the  crisis  may  in  some  way  be  averted,  but  I 
fear  the  future." 

The  return  from  the  race  track  was  a  panic 
rather  than  a  procession.  To  reach  the  city  with 
all  possible  haste  was  the  thought  uppermost  in 
the  minds  of  all,  and  the  brushes  on  the  road  be 
tween  the  different  outfits  were  entirely  apart  from 
the  wish  of  individual  drivers  to  exhibit  the  speed 
of  their  animals.  A  terrible  dust  storm  had 
arisen,  to  add  to  the  anxieties  of  the  occasion,  but 

in  spite  of  it  all  plunged  at  a  headlong  speed. 

28 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

Past  the  mines  Mr.  Brunelle's  brake  whirled; 
thence  up  Commissioner  Street  and  past  "  The 
Chains,"  where  now,  instead  of  gesticulating 
brokers,  excited  men  were  discussing  the  one 
question  which  filled  the  popular  mind;  across 
Pritchard  Street ;  past  the  Grand  National  Hotel, 
whose  porticoed  front  was  lined  with  angry- 
browed  Outlanders ;  past  the  railroad  station  and 
into  Dornfontein,  and  thence  up  Saratoga  Avenue 
to  his  residence  Mr.  Brunelle  urged  his  panting 
horses.  The  threat  of  impending  conflict  was 
visible  on  every  hand.  When  would  it  become  a 
reality  ? 


CHAPTER  III. 

"  NOT  going,  Muriel  ?  "  echoed  Lady  Stanmore, 
the  following  morning,  when  she  had  visited  Mu 
riel's  room,  in  response  to  the  latter 's  invitation. 
"Not  going?  Why,  you're  crazy." 

"  At  any  rate,  I'm  determined  to  stay,  dear  Lady 
Stanmore.  My  mind  is  fully  made  up." 

"  But,  my  dear  child,  you  don't  realize  what  you 
are  doing.  You  must  go." 

"No,  I  cannot,"  replied  Muriel,  enfolding  Lady 
Stanmore  in  her  arms  as  if  coaxing  her  permis 
sion  to  remain.  "  I  have  carefully  considered  the 
matter.  Until  last  evening  I  was  undecided,  but 
now  my  determination  is  fixed.  So  I  sent  for  you 
to  notify  you.  Now,  listen,  dear  friend,  and  let 
me  tell  you  the  whole  story.  You  alone,  of  all 
my  friends,  know  the  purpose  I  had  in  mind  in 
coming  out  here.  You  have  been  my  confidant — 
my  other  self.  All  my  hopes  and  plans  I  have 

3° 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

confided  in  you.  Don't  think  me  ungrateful. 
Your  kindnesses  never  came  home  to  me  so 
clearly  as  they  do  this  moment.  They  pile  up,  a 
mountain  so  high  that  my  gratitude  can  never 
hope  to  scale  it.  I  know  that  when  you  urge  me 
to  return  with  you,  you  are  advising  what  seems 
to  be  the  only  thing  to  do,  but  listen :  I  came  out 
here  for  a  purpose,  and  I  feel  that  I  ought  to  try 
and  carry  it  out.  Last  night,  after  we  had  re 
turned  from  the  races,  I  slipped  out  to  the  little 
chapel  to  pray  for  guidance.  For  more  than  an 
hour  I  was  there  in  the  gloom,  asking  for  light. 
Never  in  my  life  did  I  so  pour  out  my  soul,  and 
never  did  I  hear  so  clear  a  response.  When  I  left 
the  chapel  it  was  with  the  determination  to  stay 
here." 

"  But  where  will  you  stay  ? "  excitedly  de 
manded  Lady  Stanmore,  as  if  that  clinched  her 
argument.  "  The  Brunelles  are  going." 

"  I  have  provided  for  all  that,"  was  Muriel's 
calm  counter  response.  "  Leaving  the  chapel,  I 
met  the  rector  and  told  him  of  my  plans.  He 
at  first  tried  to  dissuade  me,  but  after  hearing  my 

entire  statement  he  approved  of  my  course,  and 

3' 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

told  me  he  would  welcome  me  at  his  house  until 
such  time  as  I  could  begin  work  as  a  nurse." 

"Asa  nurse?     You?" 

"Yes;  even  I." 

"  Why,  child,  what  do  you  know  about  nursing?  " 

"Not  much,  perhaps;  and  yet  I  am  not  alto 
gether  ignorant.  In  my  little  philanthropic  jaunts 
I  have  devoted  considerable  attention  to  charitable 
work  and  have  observed  the  nurses  at  the  hos 
pitals.  I  may  lack  a  technical  education,  but  I 
know  something  of  such  duties  as  do  not  require  a 
technical  knowledge  of  the  science.  I  can  at  least 
smooth  some  poor  fellow's  pillow,  and  assist  in 
preparing  dressings." 

"  But  where  is  this  hospital,  and  when  are  you 
going  to  begin  ?  " 

"  I  can't  answer  either  question;  but  this  seems 
to  be  clear :  that  this  place  will  be  the  centre  of 
trouble,  and  that  the  time  is  not  far  distant. 
There  is  talk  of  war  on  everybody's  lips.  Be 
sides,  if  Jack  is  anywhere  in  the  country  I  may 
hear  news  of  him.  I  have  learned  that  he  has 
gone  up  into  Rhodesia.  It  would  be  just  like 

him  to  take  part  in  a  contest,  if  there  should  be 

32 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

one.  By  staying  here  I  may  get  news  of  him,  or 
even  see  him. " 

"  But  what  shall  I  say  to  your  father?  He  will 
hold  me  responsible  for  you." 

"  Tell  him  the  whole  story,  if  you  choose.  Say 
to  him  that  you  did  all  you  could  to  persuade  me 
to  return,  and  that  I  was  determined  to  remain, 
for  my  country's  sake.  Say  to  him  that  I  believe 
it  to  be  my  duty,  and  he  will  understand." 

"  Dear  child,  how  you  argue !  I  am  almost  per 
suaded  to  stay  with  you.  You  make  me  feel  like 
a  coward  to  think  of  going." 

"  No,  no,  no ! "  remonstrated  Muriel.  "  Your 
duty  is  to  go,  and  without  delay. " 

"  Yes,  I  fear  I  must.  But,  Muriel,"  she  added, 
holding  the  girl  at  arm's  length,  and  gazing  at  her 
with  glistening  eyes,  "  I  can  hardly  make  myself 
believe  that  you  are  in  earnest.  Where  did  you 
get  this  courage  ?  " 

"Ah,  I  hardly  know!"  Muriel  wearily  re 
sponded.  "  It  seems  as  if  I  had  grown  from  a  girl 
to  a  woman  during  the  night.  The  only  thing 
that  seems  quite  clear  is  that  I  am  doing  what  is 

right — yes,  what  is  my  duty." 

33 


MURIEL    STERLING. 

"Well,  dear,  so  be  it.  Under  such  circum 
stances  I  cannot  say  another  word  to  dissuade  you. 
I  am  proud  of  you — proud  of  you. " 

And  the  good-hearted  little  woman  folded  the 
girl  to  her  breast  and  kissed  her. 

"  I  knew  you  would  agree  with  me.  Now,  say 
nothing  to  the  others  until  to-morrow.  I  know 
they  would  also  try  and  persuade  me  to  go.  My 
determination  must  be  final  and  absolute." 

"Very  well,  dear.  Now,  good-night.  I'll  see 
you  in  the  morning. " 

Naturally  there  was  a  great  commotion  among 
the  members  of  Lady  Stanmore's  party,  when  the 
announcement  of  Muriel's  determination  was 
made.  Lord  Stanmore  said  nothing,  except  to 
privately  inform  his  wife  that  he  deemed  the 
move  an  unwise  one.  But  as  he  agreed  with  his 
wife  in  all  things,  he  accepted  her  view  of  the 
situation  and  finally  applauded  Muriel's  courage. 

"Weally,  it's  most  extwaordinawy,  don't  y' 
know,"  drawled  Lord  Popham,  as  the  boldness 
of  the  plan  gradually  worked  its  way  through  his 
dull  perception.  "  Extwaordinawy !  Stay  here  ? 

Deah  me ! "      Then  he  tugged  at  his    mustache, 

34 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

first  with  his  right  hand  and  then  with  his  left,  as 
if  this  process  assisted  his  mental  digestion. 

"  But,  Muriel,  you  may  be  killed ! "  apprehen 
sively  whispered  Miss  St.  John;  and  she  shuddered 
at  the  bare  thought. 

"You  are  hardly  comforting,"  smiled  Muriel. 
"  But  even  so.  I  have  thought  of  that,  and,  if 
necessary,  I  am  ready  to  die  in  a  cause  that  seems 
to  me  so  glorious. " 

"  I  suppose  you'll  wear  a  gray  dress,  with  a 
white  apron,  a  little  white  cap,  and  a  red  cross  on 
your  sleeve,  won't  you?  Won't  that  be  just  love 
ly?  "  murmured  the  romantic  Miss  St.  John. 

"  Really,  I  hadn't  thought  of  all  those  details," 
replied  Muriel,  laughing  aloud  at  the  queer  turn 
of  her  companion's  thoughts.  "And  yet,  it's  a 
matter  worth  considering.  I'm  glad  you  sug 
gested  the  idea.  I  have  no  dresses  really  suitable 
to  wear  on  such  occasions  and  I'll  have  to  go  out 
immediately  and  get  some,  or  the  materials  for 
some." 

"  Perhaps  you'd  like  a  costume  like  dat,"  put  in 
Mr.  Weiss  mischievously,  addressing  Miss  St. 
John. 

35 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"  Oh,  dear,  no !  "  that  romantic  young  lady  an 
swered,  shrinking  behind  Lady  Stanmore  as  if  she 
feared  some  one  would  by  main  force  compel  her 
to  enlist  her  services.  "I  never  could  do  it. 
I'd  faint  at  the  very  sight  of  blood. " 

"  Miss  Sterling,  much  as  I  admire  your  courage, 
I  wish  you  would  reconsider,"  gravely  urged  Mr. 
Brunelle.  "  You  have  no  conception  of  the  possi 
bilities  which  may  ensue.  There  are  not  only  the 
privations  of  a  hospital,  and  the  possibility  of 
being  wounded  or  killed  during  a  bombardment  to 
be  considered,  but  there  is  also  the  likelihood  of 
an  uprising  of  the  blacks,  with  all  the  horrible 
possibilities  of  such  a  catastrophe.  I  beseech 
you,  do  not  expose  yourself  to  a  danger  of  which 
I  dare  not  more  than  hint." 

Muriel  closed  her  eyes  and  drew  herself  to  her 
full  height.  Her  hands  were  clinched  by  her 
side,  the  color  receded  from  her  lips,  and  for  a 
moment  she  seemed  to  cease  breathing.  But 
there  was  no  sign  of  faltering  in  her  clear  gray 
orbs  when  she  again  opened  them. 

"  That  was  something  which  I  had  not  consid 
ered,"  she  replied,  in  her  soft,  even  tones.  "  But 

36 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

even  if  it  actually  threatened,  instead  of  being  a 
mere  possibility,  I  would  still  persist  in  the  course 
I  have  marked  out  for  myself.  As  I  have  already 
told  you,  there  are  many  things  concerning  this 
venture  which  are  not  entirely  clear  to  me,  but  I 
have  placed  my  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  I  know  He 
will  illumine  my  path." 

"  Then  I  have  nothing  more  to  say.  I  admire 
your  devotion,  and  I  would  myself  stay  but  for  my 
wife  and  children.  I  feel  that  my  first  duty  is  to 
them.  But  I  felt  that  I  ought  to  present  to  you 
the  possibility  which  was  worrying  me,  and  now 
that  you  have  considered  it,  I  congratulate  you 
upon  your  determination.  I  am  proud  to  own 
you  as  a  countrywoman,  and  I  trust  the  fears 
which  now  disturb  us  all  shall  be  shown  to  have 
no  better  foundation  than  our  own  imaginations." 

"I  thank  you  all.  Believe  me,  I  appreciate 
your  friendly  anxiety,  but,  as  I  have  told  you,  I 
have  committed  the  details  of  my  plan  to  a  Higher 
Power,  and  beyond  the  mere  fact  that  I  ought  to 
stay,  I  have  decided  nothing.  I  will  ride  with  you 
to  the  station  and  there  say  farewell." 

As  they  drove  through  the  streets  they  found 
37 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

themselves  in  the  midst  of  a  mass  of  hurrying 
fugitives.  All  kinds  of  bundles  were  being  car 
ried.  Trunks  were  conspicuous  by  their  absence. 
Travelling  bags  or  cases  predominated,  and  in  some 
instances  effects  were  packed  in  sheets  or  table 
cloths.  A  drunken  miner  waved  his  hat  at  them 
as  they  passed.  Farther  along  a  squad  of  armed 
volunteers  caused  a  brief  halt  while  they  marched 
across  the  square.  At  the  little  railroad  station 
it  was  confusion  worse  confounded.  The  ap 
proaches  were  blocked  by  a  struggling  mob,  and 
it  was  with  difficulty  that  the  members  of  the 
party  squeezed  their  way  to  the  coaches.  Here 
the  seriousness  of  the  situation  was  again  accent 
uated.  At  the  window  of  one  of  the  coaches  a 
man  was  standing,  handing  a  woman  in  the  coach 
some  bread,  meat  and  coffee. 

"  I  dare  not  leave  here  to  go  out,"  she  was  say 
ing.  "I  might  lose  my  seat.  But,  oh,  I'm  so 
tired !  Here  I've  been  cramped  up  since  morning. 
I  wonder  if  they'll  never  leave." 

A  little  farther  along,  the  foremost  members  of 
the  party  were  almost  upset  by  a  commotion  im 
mediately  in  front  of  them. 


A  TALE   OF   THE   AFRICAN   VELDT. 

"  Hammer  him !  Hammer  him  hard,  the  cur ! " 
a  crowd  of  miners  were  urging,  as  they  strove  to 
strike  a  hapless  mortal  who  was  rolling  in  the 
dust.  "Ah,  ye  coward!  Ye'd  sneak  off  like  a 
whipped  cur,  would  ye,  as  soon  as  ye  scent  danger. 
How  about  all  your  brave  words,  now  ?  "  they  asked, 
as  they  gave  him  a  final  series  of  kicks  and  the 
half-dead  individual,  by  a  wild  dash,  managed  to 
escape  from  them  and  disappear  in  the  crowd. 

"  What  has  he  done?  "  asked  some  one. 

"  Wot's  he  done?  Wot  'asn't  he  done?  "  they 
asked.  "  W'y,  'e  was  all  for  war,  an'  blood,  an' 
gore.  This  mornin'  we  missed  'im,  an'  some  one 
saw  'im  comin'  this  way.  So  we  follored,  an'  'ere 
we  fin'  'im,  curled  up  under  a  seat  like  the  dog 
'e  is." 

An  angry  roar  from  the  opposite  side  of  the 
railroad  yard  attracted  the  attention  of  the  crowd. 
It  was  followed  by  a  volley  of  stones  and  other 
missiles. 

"  What's  the  row  there  ?  "  asked  some  one  in  the 
crowd,  nearly  sweeping  the  Stanmore  party  from 
their  feet  as  the  rush  to  the  other  side  of  the  sta 
tion  set  the  whole  throng  in  motion. 

39 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"  Not  much,"  was  the  jocular  reply  of  a  spectator. 
"  Only  a  lot  of  white-livered  chaps,  who  are  trying 
to  get  away  from  the  place  by  packing  themselves 
in  a  cattle  car.  They're  jammed  in  so  close  that 
there  isn't  room  for  them  to  move  around,  and 
they're  obliged  to  stand  up.  How  they'll  endure  it 
during  the  long  ride  the  Lord  only  knows,  and  he 
won't  tell.  The  miners  are  mad  at  them  for  leav 
ing  the  city,  now  that  danger  threatens,  and  they 
are  showing  their  displeasure." 

So  the  scene  changed  from  one  act  of  violence 
to  another.  Accommodations  on  the  trains  were 
at  a  tremendous  premium.  In  some  cases  as  high 
as  £20  was  given  a  guard  to  hold  a  single  seat. 
Despite  the  fact  that  the  cars  were  packed  to  a 
dangerous  limit,  it  seemed  as  if  each  succeeding 
train-load  made  a  scarcely  perceptible  diminution 
of  the  mass  of  humanity  that  thronged  the  station, 
imploring,  threatening,  cursing;  all  battling  for 
the  privilege  of  a  chance  to  get  away — anywhere, 
so  long  as  it  was  beyond  the  limits  of  Johannes 
burg,  and  into  territory  where  the  British  flag 
floated. 

"  Where  in  the  world  is  our  coach  ?  "   Mr.   Bru- 
40 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

nelle  asked,  somewhat  testily,  after  he  had  walked 
almost  the  entire  length  of  the  station. 

"  Right  here,"  remarked  a  voice  at  his  elbow, 
and  turning  he  beheld  Kooste.  He  led  them  to  a 
vacant  compartment,  and  assisted  them  to  deposit 
their  luggage. 

"I  had  this  place  reserved  for  you,"  he  said; 
"  and  as  I  felt  I  could  not  permit  my  good  friends 
to  depart  without  a  word  of  farewell,  I  secured 
permission  to  come  down  here.  I  am  glad  you 
have  been  so  expeditious.  The  danger  is  immi 
nent,  although  it  is  not  more  apparent  than  it  was 
on  Saturday.  The  cloud  may  break  at  any  mo 
ment  and  it  is  best  that  you  are  taking  an  early 
start.  It  is  the  part  of  wisdom  not  to  unneces 
sarily  expose  yourselves.  There's  the  starting 
signal.  Farewell,  and  God  bless  you  all. " 

"  Kooste,  we  are  under  an  eternal  obligation  to 
you,"  replied  Mr.  Brunelle,  taking  the  other's  hand. 
"  But  for  you  I  doubt  if  we  could  have  found  ac 
commodations." 

"  Pshaw !  the  service  is  not  worth  such  praise," 
he  answered.  "  It  is  nothing  at  all.  Should  any 
thing  happen,  think  kindly  of  me." 

41 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"Indeed  we  cannot  do  otherwise,"  came  the 
hearty  chorus. 

"  Don't  delay,  Miss  Sterling.  The  starting  sig 
nal  has  sounded,  and  the  train  will  depart  at  any 
moment,"  cautioned  Kooste,  noticing  that  Muriel, 
instead  of  entering  the  coach,  was  standing  on  the 
platform,  and  conversing  with  her  friends  inside. 

"I'm  not  going,  Mr.  Kooste,"  she  quietly  re 
plied. 

"Not  going?"  he  echoed.  "To-day,  you 
mean  ? " 

"Not  at  all,"  she  answered,  her  eyes  on  the 
ground,  but  a  determined  ring  in  her  voice. 

"  Not  at  all  ? "  he  repeated,  as  if  convincing 
himself  that  he  had  not  heard  aright.  "  But  you 
must,"  he  added,  almost  pushing  her  into  the  coach 
in  his  anxiety.  "  For  God's  sake,  what  does  this 
mean?  "  he  asked,  appealing  to  Mr.  Brunelle,  when 
she  resisted  his  efforts  to  induce  her  to  depart. 

"  It  means  that  Miss  Sterling  has  made  up  her 
mind  to  remain  and  serve  as  a  nurse.  We  have 
tried  to  persuade  her  to  accompany  us,  but  she  is 
steadfast  in  her  determination  to  stay,  and  she  has 

made  us  believe  that  she  is  doing  right." 

42 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"-A  nurse?"  repeated  Kooste,  gazing  in  won 
derment  at  the  girl.  His  brain  reeled  with  the 
rapidity  of  the  thoughts  that  were  whirling  within 
him.  He  gazed  in  mute  wonder  from  Muriel  to 
the  party  in  the  coach,  and  before  he  could  clearly 
grasp  the  idea  that  she  had  decided  to  remain  be 
hind,  the  engine  had  given  a  parting  shriek,  the 
long,  heavy  train  had  slowly  rumbled  out  of  the 
station,  and  they  were  left  alone  on  the  platform. 
Muriel  waved  her  handkerchief  in  reply  to  the 
farewells  of  her  friends  until  a  curve  in  the  road 
took  them  from  sight.  Then  she  turned  to  Kooste, 
who  still  gazed  stupidly  at  her. 

"Yes,  a  nurse,"  she  continued,  as  if  in  response 
to  his  mute  query.  "  If  there  is  war  there  will  be 
need  for  women.  I  am  ready  to  do  my  part,  how 
ever  humble  it  may  be." 

She  spoke  a  little  defiantly,  as  if  construing  his 
silence  into  a  mute  remonstrance. 

"  I  have  only  profound  admiration  to  express  for 
your  courage,"  he  apologetically  found  tongue  to 
say.  "  I  was  neither  scolding  you  nor  belittling 
your  devotion,  but  the  idea  you  proposed  was  so 
magnificent,  that  I  could  hardly  grasp  it,  at  first." 
.  43 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"  Couldn't  you  concede  so  much  to  an  English 
woman?"  she  asked  with  a  wan  smile. 

"Ah,  don't  jest!"  he  sadly  replied.  "There 
is  one  Englishwoman  for  whom  I  have  had  only 
the  sincerest  admiration  since  it  was  my  privilege 
to  know  her.  If  this  were  the  time  and  the  place 
I  would  gladly  lay  at  her  feet  myself  and  all  that  I 
possess  as  a  proof  of  my  devotion.  I  may  say  that 
I  am  delighted  beyond  all  power  of  expression  at 
her  decision  to  remain  here.  It  will  give  me  an 
opportunity  of  assisting  her.  May  I  not  ask  that 
privilege?  Now  that  you  are  alone  here,  may  I 
not  take  you  to  the  home  of  one  of  my  friends, 
where  you  will  be  safe  from  present  danger,  and 
most  heartily  welcomed?  " 

"  No,  no ;  I  cannot  accept  your  hospitality,  nor 
that  of  your  friends !  "  she  answered,  placing  her 
hand  on  his  sleeve  as  he  drew  back,  offended  at 
the  quickness  of  her  reply.  "I  appreciate  the 
kindness  you  intend,  but  I  have  already  arranged 
to  remain  at  the  rectory  until  such  time  as  my  ser 
vices  are  needed." 

"But  where  are  you  going  to  begin  your  la 
bors?"  he  asked. 

44 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  Wherever  I  can  be  of  any  service,"  she  replied. 
"  I  have  no  definite  plans.  I  suppose  this  place 
will  be  the  scene  of  the  conflict,  if  it  comes,  and 
here  I  will  stay  until  I  am  called  for." 

"  Will  you  help  the  Boers  as  well  as  the  Out- 
landers  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  What  a  question ! "  she  replied,  somewhat 
indignantly.  "  The  cause  of  humanity  knows  no 
race  distinctions." 

"Pardon  me,  I  did  not  mean  it  in  that  sense. 
But  it  is  just  possible  that  the  scene  of  conflict 
may  be  miles  away  from  here,  and  that  the  Boers 
may  need  your  services  rather  than  the  Outland- 
ers.  In  such  a  case  would  you  be  willing  to  re 
spond  to  a  call  for  service  ?  " 

"  Wherever  I  can  be  of  assistance,  there  I  will 
be  found,  if  you  will  come  after  me." 

"Agreed,"  he  answered.  "Consider  me  your 
devoted  servant." 

"  I  consider  you  as  a  loyal  and  true  friend,"  she 
answered.  "While  we  are  talking,  there  is  an 
other  matter  to  which  I  ought  to  refer,  and  per 
haps  there  will  be  no  better  opportunity  than  the 
present.  While  I  feel  flattered  at  the  personal — 

45 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

that  is,  the  admiration  you  have  expressed  for  me 
— I  feel  that  I  ought  to  tell  you  that  one  great 
reason  for  staying  here  is  the  hope  of  hearing 
from  or  seeing  the  man  whom  I  love,  and  who 
I  believe  loves  me.  I  feel  honored  at  your  dec 
laration.  I  regard  you  as  a  very  dear  friend,  whose 
addresses  would  be  an  honor  to  any  woman,  but 
in  my  case  there  is  but  one  who  occupies  my 
heart.  Just  where  that  one  is  I  do  not  know.  I 
have  heard  that  he  was  in  Johannesburg  and 
had  started  for  Rhodesia.  We  parted  under  a 
misunderstanding,  and  I  thought  I  might  hear 
of  him  at  this  point.  That  is  why  I  came 
to  South  Africa.  If  there  is  a  war,  I  fear  that 
he  will  be  concerned  in  it,  and  I  am  afraid  that 
he  will  be  opposed  to  you.  Such  is  fate.  If  by 
any  chance  you  should  meet  him,  I  hope  you  will 
assist  him,  if  he  needs  assistance,  for  my  sake." 

"  That  I  will.     What  is  his  name  ?  " 

"John  Derrington." 

"  John  Derrington.  I  will  not  forget  the  name. 
I  envy  that  man,"  added  Kooste  softly,  "but  I  am 
none  the  less  your  friend,  and,  so  far  as  my  ability 

goes,  I  will  assist  you  to  find  him." 

46 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

'*  How  can  I  ever  thank  you  for  all  you  have 
done  for  me?  "  she  gratefully  asked. 

"  By  simply  giving  me  the  privilege  of  attesting 
my  friendship,"  he  replied.  "There,  have  cour 
age  !  "  he  added,  as  he  left  her  at  the  rectory  gate. 
"  All  will  yet  be  well ;  to-night  I  must  return  to 
my  home,  but  when  the  time  comes  for  you  to  be 
of  service,  I  will  manage  to  send  for  you.  Till 
then,  farewell. " 

That  night  sleep  refused  to  come  to  Muriel. 
For  hours  she  sat  at  the  window  of  her  little 
room,  gazing  into  a  retrospect  that  stretched  back 
through  months  of  memory,  over  thousands  of  miles 
of  sea  and  lands,  and  moistened  each  new  vista 
with  a  benediction  of  tears. 


47 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DAYLIGHT  faded  into  dusk,  and  dusk,  by  a  quick 
transition,  became  darkness,  but  still  Muriel  sat  at 
the  window  of  her  room,  her  elbow  resting  on  the 
sill,  her  chin  on  her  hand,  and  her  eyes  gazing 
staringly  into  the  quiet  street.  Events  passing 
within  her  immediate  sight  and  hearing  had  but 
little  interest  for  her,  however.  Her  thoughts 
were  far  away,  and  her  gaze  was  fixed  on  the  re 
cesses  of  memory.  Occasionally  a  smile  would 
penetrate  the  mask  of  mournful  thoughtfulness,  as 
some  happy  incident  of  the  past  photographed  it 
self  upon  her  consciousness,  but  for  the  most  part 
her  dreams  were  sombre,  and  a  tear  was  either  on 
the  surface  or  perilously  near  it.  Once  in  a  while 
a  pistol-shot  would  recall  her  from  the  past  to  the 
present  and  cause  her  to  remember  that  she  was 
in  Johannesburg  and  not  in  London.  During  the 

momentary  start  such  explosions  or  the  sound  of 

48 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

excited  voices  caused  her,  she  would  realize  that 
she  was  in  the  midst  of  alarms,  and  a  nervous 
shudder  would  pass  over  her.  Anticipation  is 
generally  more  terrible  than  reality.  The  shots 
were  fired,  she  knew,  by  some  exuberant  miner 
giving  vent  to  his  emotions  at  some  bit  of  sensa 
tional  rumor  from  Jameson,  whose  name  was  on 
everybody's  lips,  or  punctuating,  in  the  rough  way 
of  some  of  the  rough  men  of  the  country,  a  patri 
otic  exhortation  of  a  roadside  orator.  It  was  in 
deed  fortunate  for  her  that  she  had  her  dreams  to 
occupy  her  mind,  or  the  tension  upon  her  nerves 
would  have  been  almost  unendurable. 

In  those  few  hours  the  scenes  of  a  lifetime  flit 
ted  again  and  again  before  her  memory,  as  if  in 
a  moving  panorama  that  turned,  now  this  way  and 
now  that  way,  now  advancing  and  now  retreating, 
as  one  incident  followed  after  another,  regardless 
of  sequence.  This  moment  it  was  a  scene  from 
childhood;  the  next,  one  from  budding  woman 
hood  ;  but  ever  it  was  the  same  background  to  the 
picture — the  hills  and  vales  of  old  England — and 
ever  the  same  people — her  countrymen  and  coun 
trywomen.  But  there  was  one  man  who  was  con- 

49 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

tinually  in  her  thoughts,  and  one  scene  which 
presented  itself  again  and  again,  like  some  accus 
ing  spectre.  The  man  was  Jack  Derrington ;  the 
scene,  that  last  garden  fete  at  Lady  Stanmore's. 
It  seemed  so  long  ago — a  thing  out  of  the  misty 
past — and  yet,  reckoned  by  the  calendar,  it  was 
only  a  little  more  than  six  short  months. 

"  Why — why — did  I  persist  in  misunderstanding 
him  ?  "  she  repeatedly  asked  herself,  in  unspoken 
words  of  abject  contrition. 

But  she  was  not  so  much  to  blame  as  she  per 
sisted  in  now  believing  she  was.  She  was  no 
prophet  to  lift  the  veil  of  the  future,  and,  peering 
beyond,  to  read  the  hand  of  destiny.  She  was 
simply  a  thoughtless  girl,  busily  engaged  in  en 
joying  the  pleasures  of  life,  and  content  to  accept 
the  attentions  lavished  upon  her  as  contributions 
to  her  own  happiness.  How  could  she  have 
known  that  their  little  tiff,  at  that  otherwise  joy 
ous  garden  fete,  would  have  driven  him  to  the  op 
posite  ends  of  the  earth  ?  And  why  had  he  not 
called  to  see  her  before  she  started  on  her  summer 
tour  of  pleasure  haunts  at  gay  watering  places? 
And  why,  also,  had  he  maintained  his  sulky  si- 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

lence  during  that  summer?  These  were  the  ques 
tions  she  asked  herself  at  the  time.  Now  she 
understood,  and  was  grieved;  then  it  suited  her 
coquettish  spirit  to  retaliate  by  entering  more 
than  ever  into  the  enjoyment  of  life,  in  order  to 
punish  him  for  his  boorishness.  And  when  she 
returned  from  the  watering  places,  she  promised 
herself  that  she  would  persist  in  adding  to  his 
misery  by  punishing  him  with  endless  flirtations, 
but  when  she  did  return 

The  garden  fete  at  Lady  Stanmore's  was  the 
climax  of  the  gay  season  in  town.  Her  beautiful 
house  and  grounds  were  a  picture  from  fairyland. 
Hundreds  of  gallant  men  and  beautiful  women 
whirled  in  the  ballroom  or  strolled  through  the 
gaily  decorated  gardens.  The  gayest  of  the  gay 
was  Muriel.  Jack  was  also  there.  This  would 
have  been  an  unnecessary  declaration  in  their  own 
set,  provided  it  had  been  previously  stated  that 
Muriel  was  present.  The  presence  of  Jack  fol 
lowed  as  a  matter  of  course.  But  the  music,  and 
the  dancing,  and  the  gay  throngs  seemed  to 
awaken  no  responsive  emotion  in  his  bosom.  He 

51 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

contented  himself,  if  his  feelings  can  be  described 
as  those  of  contentment,  by  puffing  away  at  a  cigar 
on  the  veranda  or  occasionally  listlessly  watching 
the  gay  whirl  in  the  ballroom  from  one  of  the 
doors  of  that  giddy  theatre  of  activity.  His  ears 
must  have  burned,  too,  at  the  frequency  with  which 
he  became  a  topic  of  conversation. 

"  I  declare  I  don't  see  just  what  his  purpose 
in  life  is,"  declared  one  thin-lipped  chaperon. 
"  Here  he  is,  a  man  of  education  and  social  stand 
ing,  doing  absolutely  nothing  to  distinguish  him 
self.  I  wouldn't  mind,"  she  added,  by  way  of 
apologetic  explanation,  "if  he  were  one  day  to 
become  the  master  of  Derrington  Hall,  but  that  is 
out  of  the  question.  His  brother,  who  is  only  a 
few  years  older  than  Jack,  has  just  succeeded  to 
the  title  and  estates,  and  as  he  promises  to  live  to 
a  ripe  old  age,  as  well  as  to  have  children  of  his 
own,  Jack's  chances  of  succession  are  not  one  in  a 
million.  Under  those  circumstances  I  don't  un 
derstand  why  Jack  doesn't  do  something  for  him 
self.  He  has  a  home  at  the  Hall  with  his  mother, 
but  his  income,  while  sufficient  to  maintain  him 
self,  is  not  large  enough  to  permit  him  to  main- 

52 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

tain  an  establishment  of  his  own,  unless  he  chooses 
to  throw  himself  upon  his  brother's  charity.  I 
imagine  that  this  would  be  an  uncomfortable  mat 
ter,  too,  judging  from  what  I  hear  about  him," 
she  added,  lowering  her  voice  and  speaking  with 
gossipy  malice. 

"Isn't  it  queer?"  echoed  one  of  her  cronies, 
like  herself  more  busily  engaged  in  dissecting  the 
reputations  of  their  acquaintances  than  in  any 
other  proceeding.  "  Of  course  he  couldn't  go  into 
trade,  but  he  might  at  least  enter  the  army  or 
the  diplomatic  service.  Surely  his  family  and 
influence  would  guarantee  him  an  opening  in 
either  of  these  directions. " 

"  Oh,  come,  be  a  little  more  charitable,  ladies !  " 
put  in  old  Captain  Gray.  "The  boy  is  young 
yet." 

"Young!  Why,  he's  twenty-seven,"  they  re 
monstrated. 

"  Well,  what  do  you  expect  ?  Would  you  have 
us  all  Napoleons  or  Alexanders  at  twenty-seven  ?  " 

"  But  he  ought  to  be  doing  something  worthy  of 
his  family  and  education." 

"  How  do  you  know  he  is  not  ?  " 
53 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"What  is  it  then,  if  he  is  doing  anything?  " 
"Oh,  I  don't  know!"  laughed  the  captain. 
"  He  hasn't  made  a  confidant  of  me.  Englishmen 
as  a  rule  are  conservative  and  slow  to  develop. 
But  the  growth  is  a  gradual  one  and  a  good  one. 
One  of  these  days  he  may  surprise  you  by  achiev 
ing  something  worth  while,  and  then  you  will 
applaud  him  as  a  wonder  and  assume  that  some 
master  stroke  was  the  impulse  of  a  moment  in 
stead  of  the  outcome  of  years  of  deliberation. 
Then  you  who  now  criticise  would  be  the  first  to 
commend.  Oh,  deliver  me  from  the  judgments 
of  women !  "  The  captain  laughed  good-naturedly 
at  his  offended  companions,  and  moved  into  the 
veranda  to  enjoy  a  smoke. 

"  Is  that  you,  Jack?  "  he  asked,  peering  into  the 
gloom,  out  of  which  a  glowing  cigar  signalled  that 
a  corner  of  the  veranda  held  an  occupant. 
"Yes;  won't  you  join  me,  captain?  " 
"Don't  mind  if  I  do,"  grunted  the  older  man, 
drawing    up   a   chair    and  tilting   himself    back 
against  the  wall.     "  You  don't  seem  to  care  much 
for  all  this  gayety?  "  he  continued. 

"  Well,  I'm  not  exactly  carried  away  with  it,  as 
54 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

you  see,"  was  the  half-joking,  half-serious  re 
sponse.  "  There  is  comfort  in  occasional  solitude 
and  a  good  cigar,  and  as  a  matter  of  choice  I'd 
rather  read  a  book  than  make  a  whirling  dervish 
of  myself." 

"You're  something  of  a  philosopher,  Jack." 

Jack  laughed  outright,  and  nonchalantly  blew  a 
puff  of  cigar  smoke  into  the  air. 

"  I'm  not  able  to  make  out  whether  it's  phil 
osophy  or  laziness,"  he  responded.  "  I  suppose  its 
all  a  part  of  the  great  game  of  life. " 

"Life?  Yes."  The  captain  spoke  slowly  and 
reminiscently.  Already  he  had  begun  to  descend 
the  westerly  side  of  the  hill.  "  Speaking  of  life, 
what  is  your  purpose,  Jack?  " 

"  I  wish  I  knew,"  Jack  slowly  responded. 

"  Haven't  you  any  ideas — any  plans  ?  A  young 
fellow  like  you  ought  not  to  be  content  to  be 
simply  a  spectator  of  a  great  procession." 

"Ideas?  Yes;  a  plenty.  Plans?  No;  that 
is,  no  definite  ones.  The  fact  of  the  matter  is 
that  until  recently  I  never  gave  the  subject  a 
serious  thought." 

"  Why  not  go  into  the  army  ? " 
55 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

Jack  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  I  don't  think 
I'd  care  for  it, "  he  replied,  "  that  is,  unless  I  could 
choose  my  own  stations.  There  is  nothing  in  an 
assignment  to  command  a  few  niggers  in  Egypt  or 
India  that  tends  to  charm  my  imagination.  Be 
sides,  that  requires  a  special  education  which  I 
have  too  long  neglected." 

"  How  about  a  diplomatic  position  ?  " 
"  Again  that  is  a  matter  of  education. " 
"  Oh,  not  altogether,"  remonstrated  the  captain. 
"  Your  family  and  the  influence  you  could  com 
mand  would  easily  find  a  post  for  you. " 

"No,  I  thank  you,"  was  the  quick  retort. 
"  I've  seen  too  much  of  that.  If  I'm  going  to  do 
anything,  I'm  going  to  do  it  myself.  If  there  is 
to  be  anything  done  for  me,  it  must  be  done  be 
cause  of  merits  of  my  own  and  not  because  of  my 
family  or  friends. " 

"  Hm !     You're  rather  independent,  I  see  ?  " 
"  Decidedly  so.     No  offence  meant,  captain.     I 
appreciate  your  friendly  suggestions,  but,  really,  I 
couldn't  go  into  the  thing  on  that  basis." 

"  Well,  good  for  you,  boy !  I've  no  doubt  you 
will  work  out  your  own  salvation.  I  admire  your 

56 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

stiff  back.  Hello!"  he  continued,  as  the  sound 
of  voices  came  to  them,  "  here  is  somebody  look 
ing  for  you,  I  imagine — somebody  whom  you'd 
rather  talk  to  than  me.  So,  good-night." 

"  Oh,  here  you  are ! "  said  Muriel,  pausing  in 
front  of  him.  "  Dr.  Wilson  and  I  have  been  hunt 
ing  all  over  the  place  for  you.  Why  in  the  world 
do  you  hide  yourself  in  this  out-of-the-way  corner, 
and  have  you  forgotten  that  you  asked  me  for  this 
waltz?" 

"  Oh,  I  beg  pardon !  I  didn't  realize  how  rapidly 
time  was  flying;  I  was  so  interested  in  talking 
with  the  captain,"  Jack  added,  taking  Muriel's 
arm,  and  relieving  Dr.  Wilson  of  his  escort. 

"  You  must  have  had  an  interesting  subject," 
Muriel  archly  retorted. 

"I  did." 

"  What  was  it?" 

"  Myself." 

"  Oh,  you  egotist ! "  she  laughed.  "  You  would 
be  better  employed  enjoying  the  festivities  of  this 
occasion.  Oh,  I've  had  a  glorious  time ! "  she 
added. 

"  I'm  glad  of  that,"  he  responded. 
57 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"No,  you're  not  a  bit  glad,"  Muriel  contra 
dicted.  "You  speak  like  an  automaton.  If 
you're  glad,  why  don't  you  show  it  ?  " 

"Really,  I  am,"  he  protested.  "A  fellow  can't 
grin  like  a  hyena  all  the  time,  you  know.  I'm 
sure  my  pleasure  at  your  enjoyment  is  more  than 
it  would  be  at  my  own." 

"  What  a  queer  fellow  you  are,"  she  continued, 
looking  curiously  at  him.  "  Sometimes  I  think  I 
don't  understand  you  at  all." 

"That's  not  surprising.  I  don't  always  under 
stand  myself." 

"  There  is  such  a  number  of  delightful  people 
here  to-night,"  she  rattled  on,  pretending  not  to 
notice  his  mood,  and  thinking  to  divert  his 
thoughts.  "Lieutenant  Wallace,  for  example. 
By  the  way,  he  tells  me  he  is  an  old  schoolmate 
of  yours." 

Jack  nodded. 

"He  is  just  returned  from  Egypt,"  she  con 
tinued,  "  and  he  showed  me  the  medal  he  received 
for  bravery." 

"  Yes ;  I  had  a  little  chat  with  him  at  the  club," 

replied  Jack.     "He  certainly  has  done  well  in  the 

58  ' 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

short  time  he  has  been  in  the  service.  Now,  do 
you  know,  at  school  he  never  gave  promise  of  be 
ing  anything  out  of  the  ordinary  run,"  he  asked, 
as  if  to  justify  his  own  lack  of  accomplishment. 

"Well,  he's  quite  a  hero  to-night,"  she  con 
tinued.  "And  I  do  so  love  heroic  men,"  she 
added,  with  a  mischievous  glance  at  Jack.  "  Then 
there's  Dr.  Houston,  too,  just  back  from  an 
Antarctic  exploring  expedition.  He's  here  to 
night,  the  admired  of  all,  and  absolutely  sharing 
the  honors  of  being  the  lion  of  the  evening  with 
Lieutenant  Wallace.  Wasn't  he  at  your  school, 
too?" 

"No — that  is,  he  was  graduated  two  or  three 
years  ahead  of  me.  I  knew  him,  however." 

"  He  seems  to  have  improved  his  opportunities, 
too,"  she  continued  apropos  of  nothing  at  all. 

"That's  as  much  as  to  say  that  I  have  not  made 
the  most  of  mine,  I  suppose,"  he  commented, 
somewhat  bitterly. 

"I  did  not  say  that." 

"No;  but  you  inferred  as  much." 

"  Oh,  you  must  let  me  be  the  interpreter  of  my 
own  thoughts !  "  she  replied,  somewhat  stiffly. 

59 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"  Pardon  me,  Muriel,"  he  pleaded.  "  I  did  not 
mean  to  offend  you.  But  your  remark  struck  a 
chord  which  has  been  reproaching  me  for  some 
time.  I  feel  that  I  have  somehow  let  my  oppor 
tunities  slip  by  me,  and  that  instead  of  riding 
after  foxes  or  shooting,  I  should  have  been  doing 
more  substantial  work.  Some  day  I  hope  to  be 
able  to  give  a  better  account  of  myself." 

"  Jack,  you're  really  getting  quite  heroic,  your 
self." 

"  Don't  laugh.  I'm  in  earnest,"  he  remon 
strated.  "  But  what  I  need  most  is  the  support 
and  sympathy  of  a  good  woman,  and  that  woman 
I  know." 

"  Oh,  nonsense ! "  she  replied,  parrying  the 
allusion.  "  Win  the  battles  yourself.  Then  the 
glory  will  be  all  your  own.  Now  there's  Dr. 
Houston 

"  Oh,  hang  Houston !  "  he  broke  in,  impatiently. 

"  Mr.  Derrington !  " 

"Again  I  ask  your  pardon,  Muriel.  But  I'm 
so  tired  of  hearing  you  sing  that  fellow's  praises, 
and  he  follows  you  around  like  a  shadow." 

"Ha!  ha!"    she  gayly  laughed.     "You  can't 
60 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

see  shadows,  Jack,  you  know,  unless  you  stand  be 
tween  yourself  and  the  light." 

"  But  what  I  wanted  to  say  was  this :  To  ask 
you — to  tell  you " 

"Here  comes  Dr.  Houston  now.  You  must 
excuse  me.  I've  promised  him  the  next  dance." 

"But,  Muriel,  this  is  so  important  to  me.  I 
want  to  tell  you  that  I " 

"No,  no;  not  now!"  she  protested,  waving 
away  the  detaining  hand  he  laid  upon  her  sleeve. 
"  Dr.  Houston  is  almost  at  hand." 

Then  Jack  heard  an  echo  of  her  smiling  acqui 
escence  to  Dr.  Houston's  question,  and  the  next 
moment  she  had  swept  away  from  him,  on  Hous 
ton's  arm,  waving  a  laughing  "  Ta !  Ta ! "  at  him 
as  she  departed.  His  gaze  followed  them  until 
they  were  lost  among  the  other  dancers,  and  then 
he  retired  to  his  old  corner  of  the  veranda. 

"  She  didn't  want  to  hear  me,"  he  muttered. 
"  That  is  the  third  time  I  have  tried  to  tell  her  I 
love  her,  and  each  time  she  has  put  me  off  with 
some  excuse.  So  a  hero  is  her  ideal.  Well,  it  is 
evident  that  I  am  not  one.  Damn  all  heroes," 

he  added,   continuing   his    bitter  soliloquy  and 

61 


MURIEL    STERLING. 

viciously  kicking  at  a  vine.  "  Most  of  them  are 
stuffed  with  sawdust.  They  go  off,  do  some  tri 
fling  thing,  and  then  come  back  here  and  pose. 
Ah,  well!  It  is  plain  that  my  dreams  were  sim 
ply  fancies.  Heroes !  Well,  who  can  blame  her  ? 
She's  a  woman,  after  all."  For  a  few  moments 
he  stood  in  the  gloom,  impatiently  tugging  at  his 
mustache,  and  then  he  broke  out  with  :  "  By  Gad, 
I'll  do  it.  I  may  lose  her  forever,  but  then — bah ! 
how  can  one  lose  what  one  never  had?  I'm  a 
fool.  What's  the  use  of  my  closing  my  eyes  to 
the  facts.  I'll  do  it." 


62 


CHAPTER   V. 

"PAT." 

"  Yes,  sur." 

"  Can  you  pack  up  my  traps  so  that  I  can  leave 
here  on  Saturday?  " 

"Everything,  sur?" 

"  Yes,  everything.  That  is,  my  guns  and  shoot 
ing  togs,  and  my  clothing.  The  rest  of  the  kit 
I'll  buy.  And,  Pat " 

"Yes,  sur." 

"  I'm  going  to  leave  the  country — to  South 
Africa,  in  fact.  I  may  not  need  your  services 
after  Saturday." 

"  Have  I — have  I  done  anything  wrong,  sur  ?  " 
asked  Pat,  twirling  a  button  of  his  jacket  and 
timorously  edging  toward  the  table  at  which  his 
master  was  seated. 

"  Oh,  bless  you,  no — not  that !  "  said  Jack,  look 
ing  up  at  his  faithful  servitor  and  involuntarily 

smiling  at  the  woe-begone  appearance  of  the  lat- 

63 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

ter.  "  You've  been  a  good  servant,  Pat.  I'll  be 
glad  to  recommend  you.  But  the  fact  is,  I  expect 
to  rough  it  for  some  months,  at  least,  and  I  do  not 
care  to  induce  you  to  share  the  hardships  I  ex 
pect  to  encounter. " 

~"  An'  would  y'  have  me  otherwise?  "  Pat  eager 
ly  asked. 

"  Gladly.  But  I  have  no  right  to  even  invite 
you  to  undergo  the  difficulties  and  face  the  dan 
gers  which  I  expect  to  meet." 

"Then  supposin'  I  invite  myself,  sur?  " 

"Do  you  mean  it?" 

"  Do  I  mean  it,  sur  ?  "  Pat  reproachfully  repeated. 
"  Do  I  mean  that  when  I  think  of  all  the  kind 
nesses  you  have  done  me  durin'  the  past  five  years, 
I  could  not  say,  '  Where  you  go,  there  I  go '  ?  " 

"  But,  Pat,"  Jack  gravely  remonstrated.  "  Have 
you  fully  considered  the  matter.  It  may  mean  to 
death's  door,  ay " 

"To  death's  dure,  or  through  it,  for  that  mat- 
ther,"  Pat  doggedly  persisted.  "If  you  whistle, 
I'll  come." 

"God  bless  you,  boy.  That's  the  first  encour 
aging  word  I've  heard  in  many  a  day,  and  I'll  not 

64 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

forget  it,"  said  his  master,  grasping  his  hand  and 
giving  it  a  hearty  shake.  "  But  remember,  you're 
leaving  pleasant  corners  for  less  cheerful  ones. 
Take  time  to  reconsider. " 

"I've  reconsidhered  and  considhered  again. 
I'm  glad  o'  the  chanst  to  get  away  from  here, 

partly  because  you're  goin',  and  partly  because 

Well,  never  mind.  I'm  wid  you." 

"Because  what,  Pat?" 

"Well,  sur,  because  of  a  woman,  if  y'  must 
know." 

"  Oh,  ho !  A  woman,  eh  ?  Women  seem  to  be 
at  the  bottom  of  all  mischief,  don't  they?  " 

"Well,  I  don't  know  about  that,  sur.  Me 
father — Lord  ha'  mercy  on  his  sowl — used  to  say 
when  he  was  whippin'  me,  that  he  was  doin'  it  for 
me  good,  but  I  couldn't  see  it  that  way.  This 
may  be  all  for  the  best,"  he  added  philosophically. 

"  Tell  me  about  it,  unless  you  consider  it  a  pri 
vate  matter,"  continued  the  master.  "I'm  inter 
ested." 

"  Well,  sur,  'twas  this  way :  I  had  me  eye  for 
a  long  while  on  one  o'  Lady  Sturling's  girls,  Mary 
Doyle,  an'  faith  I  was  makin'  pickchers  in  me  eye 

6s 


MURIEL    STERLING. 

o'  mesel'  an'  hersel'  settled  down  on  some  little 
place  as  snug  as  two  frogs  undher  a  toadsthool. 
Finally,  says  I  to  mesel' :  '  I'll  sphake  to  her,  an' 
break  the  news,'  never  thinkin'  but  that  she'd  say 
*  Yes '  so  quick  as  to  take  me  breath  away.  But 
there  was  two  things  ag'in'  me  at  that  time.  One 
was  that  Mary  had  just  been  promoted  to  Lady 
Muriel's  Frinch  maid's  place — the  wan  that  was 
discharged — which  made  her  full  o'  the  divil's 
own  notions,  and  the  other  thing  was  Sergeant 
McGinnis.  An'  may  the  divil  fly  away  wid  the 
same  McGinnis,  God  forgive  me.  Well,  since 
Mary  sthepped  int'  the  shoes  o'  the  Frinch  maid 
there  was  no  sthandin'  her  at  all,  at  all.  In  the 
firsht  place,  Mary  Doyle  became  Marie  D'Oyle,  an' 
her  pug  nose  fairly  tilts  backward,  as  well  as  up. 
In  the  second  place,  McGinnis — oh,  damn  McGin 
nis  !  savin'  yer  presence,  sur 

"  Well,  says  I,  afther  beatin'  about  the  bush  for 
a  while,  '  Will  ye  have  me,  Mary  ? '  '  Have  ye 
for  what  ? '  says  she.  '  For  betther  or  wurse,'  says 
I.  '  Yerra,  go  'long  wid  ye/  says  she.  '  D'y' 
think  I'd  marry  the  like  o'  ye? '  says  she.  '  Faix 

ye  might,'  says  I,  '  or  wurse,'  says  I.     '  Divil  a 

66 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

fear  of  it,'  says  she,  '  so  long  as  Sergeant  Michael 
McGinnis  is  above  ground,'  says  she.  It  was  then 
I  had  me  fursht  rush  o'  brains  to  the  head.  '  So 
McGinnis  is  yer  ch'ice? '  says  I.  '  Well,'  says  I, 
'  if  a  scaarlet  coat  is  what  yer  marry  in',  yer  wel 
come  to  it,'  says  I.  '  Faith  ye'll  find  that  in  any 
three-ball  shop  in  Whitechapel.'  Wid  that  she 
came  at  me  like  a  tiger-ess.  '  Th'  back  o'  me 
han  an'  the  sole  o'  me  fut  t'y','  says  she.  '  Take 
yersel*  out  o'  here/  says  she;  *  an'  the  farther  y' 
go  the  more  y'r  company'll  be  enj'yed,'  says  she. 
An'  so,  sur,  if  y'  mus'  know,  there's  the  rest  o'  the 
raison.  I'd  like  to  get  far  enough  from  this  spot 
t'  make  me  company  really  enj'yable  t'  her.  Th' 
farther  we  go  the  betther  it'll  plaze  us  all." 

Jack  laughed,  in  spite  of  himself.  "A  scarlet 
coat!"  he  bitterly  soliloquized,  forgetting  Pat's 
presence,  and  thinking  only  of  the  apt  applica 
tion  of  this  remark  to  his  own  love  affairs.  Pat 
scraped  his  foot  to  recall  Jack  from  his  medita 
tions. 

"Well,  women  are  queer  creatures,  Pat,"  he 
added,  as  if  to  signify  that  the  conversation  was 

closed. 

67 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

"  Thrue  for  y',  sur.  But  'tis  betther  t'  find  it 
out  now  than  afther  y'r  hitched  t'  one  for  life. 
When  one  offers  me  the  back  o'  her  hand  an'  the 
sole  o'  her  fut  before  marriage,  the  divil  only 
knows  what  she'll  do  aftherward.  'Tis  likely 
'twould  be  the  sole  o'  her  fut  firsht,  an'  then  the 
back  o'  her  hand.  Oh,  well !  there's  as  good  fish 
in  the  say  as  was  ever  caught." 

"Well,  well,  Pat     And  do  you  decide  to  go 
with  me?" 
"  I  do,  sur." 

"  So  be  it,  then.  We  start  Saturday." 
"Very  good,  sur;  the  quicker  the  sooner." 
And  so,  inside  of  a  week,  the  Tantallon  Castle  was 
carrying  them  to  Cape  Town.  Their  preparations 
had  been  quickly  made  and  their  farewells  were 
few.  The  fact  of  Jack's  intended  departure  was 
made  known  only  to  the  members  of  his  family 
and  some  of  his  most  intimate  friends.  Even 
they  did  not  think  he  would  do  anything  more 
serious  than  spend  a  few  weeks  roving  about  the 
country.  In  fact,  his  own  ideas  on  the  subject  of 
the  future  were  extremely  hazy.  He  had  no  defi 
nite  plan.  His  purpose  was  to  visit  the  country 

68 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

and  then  seize  upon  any  opportunities  that  might 
present  themselves.  How  far  he  would  be  suc 
cessful  he  did  not  venture  to  think.  But  other 
men  had  succeeded,  he  argued,  and  why  not  he? 
Clearly  there  were  opportunities  there,  which,  as 
others  had  developed  them,  had  produced  fame  and 
fortune.  He  had  everything  to  gain  and  nothing 
to  lose.  If  he  failed,  he  could  return  to  England 
and  be  no  worse  off  than  he  was  before  starting. 
The  principal  stake  which  he  risked  was  his  life, 
and,  as  he  felt  at  that  moment,  that  was  a  minor 
consideration. 

The  train  bore  them  to  Southampton,  and  then 
from  the  ship's  deck  they  watched  the  familiar 
headlands  of  England  fade  from  view.  Around 
him  was  laughter,  and  chatter,  and  bustle,  but  to 
these  things  he  paid  no  attention.  In  spite  of  the 
feeling  of  recklessness  that  possessed  him,  he  was 
deeply  impressed  with  the  panorama  that  was 
growing  dimmer  and  dimmer.  He  was  leaving 
his  native  land,  perhaps  never  to  return.  He  was 
leaving  all  that  were  near  and  dear  to  him,  per 
haps  never  more  to  behold  them.  In  spite  of 

himself,  tears  filled  his  eyes.     Lower  and  lower 

69 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

sank  the  horizon.  Twilight  succeeded  sunset.  A 
flashing  beacon  marked  the  shores  of  England. 
Even  that  grew  dim  and  still  more  dim.  Hark, 
the  band  was  playing!  Spirited  and  gay  its 
strains  sounded,  and  then  soft  and  tender.  It  was 
the  song  of  the  soldier.  Jack  felt  the  impulse  of 
it.  He,  too,  was  a  soldier.  Slower  and  slower 
the  music  went,  and  softer,  and  softer,  and  softer 
it  diminished,  until  there  was  barely  an  echo  of 
that  strain  known  wherever  Tommy  Atkins  has 
set  foot — 

"The  Girl  I  Left  Behind  Me." 

Jack  bowed  his  head  on  the  rail,  as  the  melody 
sobbed  its  way  into  his  own  heart,  and  his  silent 
farewell  to  her  was  dimmed  with  tears. 


70 


CHAPTER  VI. 

JACK  deliberately  exiled  himself  from  the  vari 
ous  pleasures  on  shipboard.  His  heart  was  not  in 
the  numerous  games  and  diversions  which  served  to 
break  the  monotony  for  nearly  everybody,  so  he 
pleaded  one  excuse  or  another  for  not  mingling 
more  freely  with  the  passengers.  There  was  one 
passenger  aboard,  however,  whose  acquaintance  he 
had  an  intense  desire  to  make.  He  had  never 
seen  this  man  before,  but  he  had  heard  a  great 
deal  about  him.  The  stranger  was  likewise  a  re 
served  man.  He  busied  himself  principally  with 
his  books ;  indeed,  reading  seemed  to  be  his  princi 
pal  employment  and  his  chief  diversion.  Jack  felt 
himself  attracted  toward  the  man  even  before  he 
had  learned  his  identity.  The  stranger's  appear 
ance  would  have  compelled  attention  anywhere. 
He  was  a  man  of  powerful  physique,  crowned  with 
a  head  which  marked  him  as  a  leader  of  men. 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"Know  that  man?"  asked  one  of  the  ship's 
stewards,  almost  as  soon  as  Jack  had  gone  aboard, 
pointing  out  the  stranger.  Jack  said  he  didn't. 
He  was  inclined  to  add  that  he  didn't  care  who  he 
was,  but  his  heart  gave  a  sudden  thrill  when  the 
officer,  taking  great  satisfaction  in  the  act,  con 
tinued:  "That's  Cecil  Rhodes." 

The  uncrowned  king  of  South  Africa  was  on 
his  way  to  Cape  Town,  after  a  visit  to  England. 
The  very  fact  of  his  presence  started  innumer 
able  surmises  as  to  his  errand  and  the  results  of 
his  visit  to  the  land  of  his  birth.  Jack  felt  great 
ly  encouraged  at  the  mere  sight  of  the  man. 
Here  was  one  who  had  gone  to  South  Africa  so 
broken  in  health  as  to  be  obliged  to  remain,  a  per 
petual  exile.  Jack  had  heard  the  wonderful  stories 
of  this  man's  meteoric  career :  how  he  had  grown 
into  prominence  as  the  promoter  of  the  great 
diamond  trust ;  how,  even  while  hunting  for  dia 
monds,  he  had  continued  his  studies,  and,  after 
thoroughly  preparing  himself,  had  taken  his  de 
gree  at  Oxford ;  and  how,  as  a  diplomat  and  pro 
phetic  pioneer,  he  had  brought  under  the  protection 

of  the  British  flag  an  expanse  of  country  which 

73 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

England  had  never  before  even  dreamed  of  as  a 
part  of  her  empire. 

Jack  involuntarily  began  to  compare  his  own 
condition  with  that  of  Rhodes,  when  the  latter 
started  for  Africa.  In  the  matters  of  family,  for 
tune,  health,  and  age,  the  advantage  was  all  with 
Jack.  He  smiled  when  he  reached  that  point  in 
the  comparison,  and  reflected  that  there  were  two 
great  factors  which  he  had  not  considered — brains 
and  determination.  How  to  penetrate  the  reserve 
of  the  South  African  leader  was  the  question  which 
puzzled  Jack's  brain.  He  knew  it  could  be  sim 
ply  managed  by  asking  the  captain  to  introduce 
him,  but  he  desired  that  the  meeting  should  be  a 
casual  one;  and  it  came  about  in  the  simplest 
manner  imaginable,  when  the  ship  had  been  out 
about  a  week.  "Colossus,"  as  some  had  called 
him,  was  walking  up  and  down  the  deck,  when 
suddenly  a  gust  of  wind  lifted  his  cap  and  floated 
it  in  Jack's  direction. 

With  a  spring  and  a  catch,  reminiscent  of  old 
cricket  days,  Jack  had  the  truant  garment  in  his 
possession,  and  advanced  to  the  owner. 

"Well  played,"  said  Rhodes,  thanking  him  as 
73 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

he  accepted  the  cap.  And  then  they  began  to 
talk  on  many  subjects,  finally  leading  up  to  the 
subject  nearest  Jack's  heart.  Indeed,  he  put  the 
direct  question : 

"  In  what  direction  does  Africa  furnish  the  best 
opportunities  for  a  young  man  ?  " 

Rhodes  glanced  sharply  at  him,  and  then,  in  his 
sententious  manner,  propounded  this  question : 

"Are  you  married?  " 

"No,"  was  Jack's  puzzled  response. 

"  Is  there  a  woman  in  the  case  ?  " 

"  No;  the  woman  is  out  of  the  case." 

"Ah,  I  see!  Well,  to  answer  your  question, 
there  are  opportunities  in  every  direction.  In 
what  direction  were  your  ideas  tending?  " 

"  I  have  no  fixed  ideas." 

"Where  did  you  intend  to  establish  yourself?  " 

"  Even  that  I  hadn't  determined.  I  thought  I 
would  take  a  look  about  the  country  and  then  set 
tle  upon  something. " 

"  Rather  a  poor  idea,  if  you  are  really  sincere 
in  your  purpose  of  trying  to  win  either  fame  or 
fortune.  You  ought  to  have  some  fixed  purpose. 
This  is  a  large  country.  It  will  take  considerable 

74 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

time  to  travel  over  it ;  and  by  the  time  you  have 
done  this  you  will  feel  that  you  ought  to  have  ac 
complished  something,  and  so,  discouraged,  you 
will  start  back  for  England.  Before  you  leave 
Cape  Town  you  ought  to  make  up  your  mind 
whether  you  are  going  into  sheep  farming,  or  pros 
pecting,  or  whatever  you  may  decide  upon.  Then 
doggedly  follow  that  course.  If  you  do  this,  you 
will  succeed;  whereas  if  you  try  to  spread  your 
energies  over  the  whole  country,  you  will  accom 
plish  nothing  unless  it  is  by  the  merest  chance. 
Do  you  know  anything  about  cattle  or  sheep  farm 
ing,  or  gold  prospecting?  " 

Jack  shook  his  head. 

"That's  bad,"  remarked  Rhodes.  "Let  me 
ask  you  another  question :  Are  you  afraid  of  hard 
work?" 

"No,"  replied  Jack,  with  an  almost  explosive 
vehemence. 

"  Good !  "  remarked  the  other  with  a  laugh.  "  I 
fancy  you  have  the  right  sort  of  material  in  you. 
The  principal  difficulty  is  that  you  lack  technical 
training.  Your  university  course  didn't  include 
mineralogy  or  geology,  so  that  if  you  go  prospect- 

75 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

ing  you  will  need  the  assistance  of  men  with 
practical  experience  in  that  line  of  work.  It  may 
be  possible  for  you  to  combine  sheep-farming  or 
cattle-farming  with  that  proceeding,  although  you 
want  to  be  careful  and  not  spread  out  your  en 
ergies  too  thin.  And  remember  this:  all  the 
diamonds  in  this  country  are  not  to  be  found  at 
Kimberley;  all  the  gold  is  not  in  the  Witwaters- 
rand.  Make  a  bold  strike  for  yourself." 

"  Yes ;  but  where  ?  As  you  have  just  said,  this 
is  a  very  large  country,"  laughed  Jack. 

"  That  is  something  you  will  have  to  determine 
for  yourself.  Of  course  you  do  not  expect  me  to 
lead  you  by  the  hand  and  find  a  gold  mine  for  you. 
I  have  this  same  question  put  to  me  hundreds  of 
times  in  the  course  of  a  year.  You  will  have  to 
determine  your  own  destination.  I  would  suggest 
that  you  keep  out  of  the  Boer  countries,  however. 
What  there  is  has  been  pretty  well  gobbled  up, 
and  the  political  conditions  would  probably  soon 
begin  to  irritate  you.  The  English  flag  waves 
over  vast  stretches  of  country  which  have  never 
been  prospected.  I  can  aid  you  in  obtaining  a 

grant  of  land  there.     For  the  rest,  you  must  de- 

76 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

pend  upon  yourself.  Get  yourself  an  outfit,  find 
some  men  who  have  had  experience  as  prospectors, 
lay  in  a  good  stock  of  ammunition  and  food,  and 
make  a  start.  Hundreds  of  young  Englishmen 
come  out  here  every  year  for  the  purpose  of  mak 
ing  their  fortunes,  but  the  trouble  with  most  of 
them  is,  that  they  expect  to  pick  up  gold  on  the 
wharves  at  Cape  Town  or  diamonds  in  the  streets  of 
Kimberley.  They  soon  lose  their  courage  and  go 
back  home  to  damn  this  country  and  all  that  it 
contains.  Others  are  piqued  in  love  affairs,  and 
stay  here  just  long  enough  to  get  over  the  first 
effects  of  that.  You  say  there  is  no  woman  in 
your  case  ?  "  he  asked,  breaking  off  suddenly,  and 
looking  Jack  full  in  the  face. 

Jack  blushed.  "No;  there  is  none — that  is 
there  was  one — but  I  fancy  that  is  all  over  with." 

"  Hm !  I  suspected  something  of  the  sort. 
Well,  that  is  the  way  of  the  world,  but  it  some 
times  interferes  with  business.  If  you  are  pre 
pared  to  go  into  this  venture  and  give  it  all  your 
energy  and  all  your  thought,  I  have  reason  to  be 
lieve  that  you  will  succeed.  It  may  take  you 
months,  or  even  years,  but  if  you  spend  all  your 

77 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

time  thinking  about  a  woman  six  thousand  miles 
away,  you  will  simply  have  your  trouble  for  your 
pains,  so  far  as  developing  anything  in  this  coun 
try  is  concerned.  I  am  sometimes  accused  of 
being  a  woman-hater.  That  is  not  true.  I  find 
it  works  better  to  select  single  men  who  are  heart- 
whole,  however,  when  I  have  any  project  to  ad 
vance.  Such  men  are  apt  to  take  chances, 
without  being  obliged  to  consider  wives  or 
sweethearts,  and  they  are  apt  to  succeed  where 
others  fail,  because  life  down  here  is  only  a  des 
perate  game  of  chance,  anyway.  As  to  your 
case,  of  course  I  do  not  presume  to  make  any  sug 
gestions,  much  less  criticisms.  But  this  I  do  say : 
if  the  woman  on  whom  you  have  set  your  heart 
is  worthy  of  you,  she  will  wait  until  you  return. 
If  she  is  not  willing  to  wait,  she  is  not  worth  your 
thoughts.  I  find  that,  as  a  general  proposition,  to 
apply  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten.  By  the  way,  did 
you  have  any  ultimate  idea  of  settling  here  ? " 

"  I  hadn't  thought  of  that,"  replied  Jack.  "  My 
first  idea  was  to  make  some  fortunate  strike,  if  I 
could,  and  then  to  return  to  England." 

"That  is  the  old  story,"  responded  the  other, 
78 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

with  a  laugh  that  was  tinged  with  cynicism.  "  I 
have  heard  that  so  many  times  that  I  cannot  help 
laughing.  I  believe  that  you  will  not  fail  without 
having  at  least  made  a  strong  effort,  so  that  I  am 
not  laughing  at  you.  But  let  me  suggest  this  to 
you:  This  is  destined  to  be  one  of  the  greatest 
countries  in  the  world.  The  railroads  and  tele 
graph  lines  are  opening  up  new  territory  every 
day  and  developing  possibilities  long  unsuspected. 
It  might  be  worth  while  for  you  to  consider  the 
project  of  making  your  home  here.  It  is  an  at 
tractive  country  in  many  respects.  The  climate  is 
good.  A  man  can  live  here  without  a  great  deal 
of  exertion,  and,  even  as  a  landholder,  is  bound 
to  grow  rich.  Within  the  next  half  century — 
yes,  within  a  quarter  of  a  century — land  which 
is  being  given  away  by  the  mile  will  be  worth 
considerable  when  measured  by  the  inch.  Look 
at  Johannesburg,  with  its  fifty  thousand  white 
population.  I  can  remember  when  it  was  a  pas 
ture,  and  a  barren  one  at  that,  and  when  you 
wouldn't  find  a  white  man  for  miles  around. 
There  are  tremendous  possibilities  here,  if  a  man 
is  willing  to  work  and  wait  for  them  to  develop, 

79 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

What  we  need  most  of  all  is  a  class  of  educated 
and  intelligent  citizens,  men  who  will  stay  in  the 
country,  bring  up  their  children  here,  and  per 
manently  adopt  it  as  a  home.  There  are  already 
too  many  whose  sole  idea  is  to  make  a  hurried 
grab  and  then  depart.  Have  I  furnished  you  any 
suggestions  ? " 

"  Yes.  You  have  put  several  good  ideas  into 
my  head,  thank  you.  I  find  myself  leaning  to 
ward  your  suggestion  of  cattle  or  sheep  farming. 
That  will  also  give  opportunities  of  making  tours 
for  gold  or  other  ore.  I  would  like  some  further 
suggestions  on  that  line." 

"  Well,  it  is  difficult  to  go  closely  into  details. 
As  you  lack  experience,  you  will  need  assistance 
from  those  who  are  familiar  with  this  work,  but 
you  ought  to  have  no  trouble  in  finding  two  or 
three  fellows  who  would  be  willing  to  join  you, 
and  at  the  same  time  pay  a  portion  of  the  expense. 
This  expense  will  be  considerable  at  the  start. 
You  will  need  a  string  of  oxen,  a  cart,  several 
horses,  and  a  stock  of  supplies.  You  can  buy  or 
trade  with  the  natives,  so  far  as  sheep  and  cattle 

are  concerned,  and  you  can  find  a  ready  market  for 

80 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

all  you  can  raise  in  that  line.  It  is  slow  work  at 
the  start,  but  it  is  sure,  unless  the  rinderpest 
wipes  you  out.  That  is  a  disease  among  cattle 
which  sometimes  works  havoc,  but  you  must  take 
your  chances.  Now  if  you  are  ready  to  go  into 
the  undeveloped  country  of  the  Chartered  Com 
pany,  I  will  undertake  to  see  that  you  obtain  a 
grant  of  land,  and  then  you  must  work  out  your 
own  salvation.  You  say  you  have  a  letter  to  a 
gentleman  in  Johannesburg?  Very  well.  Go 
there.  It  is  a  good  point  from  which  to  make  a 
start.  The  country  will  interest  you,  and  before 
you  have  gathered  your  supplies  you  will  hear  from 
me  as  to  the  land." 

"Thank  you,"  said  Jack.  "I  feel  much  en 
couraged  by  what  you  have  said,  and  I  will  not 
fail  without  having  at  least  made  a  fair  effort." 

"  That's  the  right  kind  of  talk.  In  the  bright 
lexicon  of  youth,  and  so  forth,  you  know,  there's 
no  such  word  as  fail." 

He  had  given  Jack  his  own  motto,  and  the  lat 
ter  felt  a  sort  of  inspiration  from  his  acquaintance. 
Here  was  a  man  with  fantastic  dreams,  but  out  of 

these  dreams    he  plucked  the    delicate   threads 

81 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

which  he  slowly  wove  together  until  they  bound 
an  empire.  "  I  shall  not  fail,"  Jack  muttered,  after 
the  other  had  resumed  his  book. 

Meanwhile  the  "  Colossus  "  was  taking  an  occa 
sional  peep  at  him  from  over  the  pages  of  his  book. 

"I'll  keep  an  eye  on  that  lad,"  he  was  saying 
to  himself. 

"  Land's  sighted,  sur,"  said  Pat,  knocking  at  his 
stateroom  door,  one  morning  a  fortnight  later. 
Jack  dressed  and  came  on  deck  to  take  his  first 
look  at  the  country  of  his  choice.  Table  Moun 
tain  loomed  up,  a  misty  shadow  in  the  distance. 
Clearer  and  more  distinct  it  stood  forth,  as  each 
turn  of  the  screws  brought  the  ship  closer,  and 
then  the  city  of  Cape  Town,  located  at  its  base, 
came  into  view.  Jack  gazed  on  the  scene  with  a 
curious  emotion.  Was  it  to  be  success  or  failure  ? 
he  asked  himself.  If  the  latter,  he  had  deter 
mined  to  perpetually  exile  himself.  If  the  former 
— well,  Muriel,  and  England,  and  several  other 
thoughts  were  mixed  up  so  rapidly  that  he  broke 
off  his  day  dream  and  ordered  Pat  to  make  ready 

to  land  the  luggage. 

8a 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THERE  were  many  things  that  surprised  Jack 
during  his  first  week's  stay  in  Africa,  but  the  most 
surprising  thing  of  all  was  Johannesburg.  Pic 
turing  in  his  mind's  eye  a  rough  mining  town,  he 
was  astonished  to  find  instead  of  this  caricature  a 
vision  of  loveliness  which  he  was  at  first  inclined 
to  view  as  a  mirage.  Splendid  public  buildings, 
magnificent  shops,  private  dwellings  palatial  in 
their  grandeur,  beautifully  laid  out  streets  and 
squares,  and  modern  improvements  of  the  most 
advanced  character — this  was  the  reality.  The 
rough  mining  camp  had  disappeared,  and  in  its 
place  had  sprung  up  a  magic  city.  It  had  a  popu 
lation  of  upward  of  fifty  thousand,  with  several 
thousand  more  residents  on  its  outskirts. 

"  Yes,  a  magic  city/'  replied  his  friend  to  whom 
he  had  delivered  a  letter,  as  they  slipped  a  brandy- 
and-soda  at  the  Rand  Club.  He  spoke  with  a 

83 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

feeling  of  pride,  tinctured  with  bitterness.  "  A 
magic  city,  certainly,  and  yet  the  magicians  have 
no  more  voice  in  it  than  if  they  were  Patagonians, 
instead  of  genii.  Its  creators  were  mainly  English 
men,  but  they  have  no  more  to  say  as  to  how  it 
shall  be  conducted  than  if  they  were  Russian 
serfs." 

Jack  was  surprised  at  the  bitterness  with  which 
he  spoke.  "  Why,  I  thought  this  was  a  Republic," 
he  said,  "and  that  each  man  had  equal  rights." 

"Equal  rights?"  the  other  bitterly  echoed. 
"  Equal  wrongs,  rather.  The  principal  right  we 
enjoy  is  the  right  to  be  taxed — taxed — taxed — 
eternally  taxed." 

"Why  don't  you  protest?  " 

"  Protest  ?  Why,  we  have  protested,  again  and 
again.  But  that  does  no  good.  By  and  by  there 
will  come  a  protest — one  that  they'll  heed — and 
it  will  be  backed  up  by  a  man  with  a  gun.  That's 
the  only  protest  to  make  an  impression  on  the 
thick  skulls  of  these  Boers." 

"  You  astonish  me,"  said  Jack.  "  Why,  I  did 
not  imagine  that  that  was  the  character  of  the 

Boers.     I  made  the  acquaintance  of  one  on  the 

84 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

train  from  Cape  Town,  and  he  seemed  to  be  one 
of  the  most  agreeable  of  men." 

"  Oh,  there  are  exceptions,  of  course.  I  know 
some  who  are  the  best  fellows  imaginable,  but  the 
great  majority  are  narrow,  ignorant,  and  conceited. 
They  hate  us  English  with  a  hatred  that  is  heredi 
tary.  It  is  an  effort  on  the  part  of  the  very  best 
of  them  to  hide  that  feeling,  while  the  lower  ele 
ment  openly  avow  it,  even  to  taunting  you  to  your 
face  with  Majuba  Hill." 

Jack  whistled  softly.  "  So  this  is  the  kind  of 
crowd  I  will  have  to  meet, "  he  commented. 

"  You  ?  Oh,  no !  that  is,  if  you  stick  to  your 
resolution  to  settle  in  Rhodesia.  There  are  none 
of  them  up  there.  They  tried  to  trek  up  there 
once,  but  Dr.  Jim  had  a  word  to  say  about  it,  and 
he  said :  '  No,  you  don't.'  I  wish  we  had  a  man 
like  him  here,"  the  other  continued  with  a  savage 
growl. 

"  Are  the  taxes,  then,  so  heavy  ? "  asked  Jack. 

"  Oh,  it's  not  the  taxes  alone,  but  everything 
else  piled  up  on  top  of  that !  That's  but  a  single 
item.  Here,  sum  up  the  situation  for  yourself. 
You  admire  this  beautiful  city.  Ten  years  ago  it 

85 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

was  a  desert.  Look  at  it  to-day.  You  have  read 
of  the  boom  towns  of  America.  They  have  noth 
ing  there  which  begins  to  compare  with  it  in  its 
marvellous  growth.  Ten  years  ago,  as  I  have  told 
you,  it  was  actually  a  desert.  Gold  had  just  been 
discovered.  The  Boers  didn't  know  how  to  get 
out  the  gold,  and  they  induced  the  Uitlanders,  as 
they  call  them,  to  come  here  and  get  it  out  for 
them.  At  that  time  their  rule  was  comparatively 
easy.  If  a  man  wanted  to  become  a  citizen  he 
could  do  so  after  two  years  of  residence.  Taxes 
were  also  light.  As  for  the  other  comforts  of 
civilization,  they  were  difficult  to  get,  and  no  one 
grumbled.  In  those  days  we  were  invited  to 
come,  and  everything  was  made  as  easy  as  possi 
ble.  Now  everything  is  as  hard  and  irritating  as 
their  crafty  ingenuity  can  make  it.  The  newcom 
ers  were  mainly  Englishmen,  with  a  sprinkling  of 
Germans  and  Americans,  and  as  our  numbers  in 
creased,  the  Boers,  from  being  apparently  friendly, 
became  distinctly  jealous." 

"  But  why  not  accept  citizenship  and  change  all 
this  with  your  ballots?  Your  votes  would  out 
number  theirs  and  compel  a  change." 

86 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  When  a  change  is  brought  about,  it  will  be  by 
a  more  powerful  argument  than  the  ballot,"  the 
other  replied  significantly.  "  Citizenship  ?  Why, 
their  very  first  move  was  to  block  all  that,"  he 
continued  with  increasing  warmth.  "  As  I  have 
told  you,  when  we  first  came  two  years'  residence 
was  required.  Now  it  is  fourteen.  And  do  you 
think  that  any  man,  who  knows  what  the  Union 
Jack  signifies  throughout  the  world,  would  change 
its  protection  for  their  miserable  rag?  No,  no; 
that's  not  English  talk !  " 

"Oh,  I  did  not  mean  to  suggest  that  a  man 
should  deliberately  forswear  allegiance  to  his 
country  for  good,"  Jack  hastened  to  explain,  "but 
that  while  he  remains  here  he  might  go  through 
the  form  of  citizenship  in  order  to  demand  that 
equity  which  otherwise  seems  impossible." 

"It's  as  impossible  in  one* way  as  it  is  in  an 
other.  After  you  have  completed  your  term  of 
residence,  you  have  to  be  practically  passed  upon 
by  them  to  determine  your  fitness.  And  then 
you've  got  to  belong  to  their  psalm-singing,  Scrip 
ture-quoting,  hypocritical  Dutch  church.  There 
is  no  liberty  of  speech,  or  conscience,  or  religion. 

87 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

Equity  ?  Why,  they  don't  know  the  meaning  of 
the  word.  You'd  find  that  out  in  short  order  if 
you  had  anything  to  do  with  their  courts.  There 
is  neither  liberty  of  speech  nor  liberty  of  con 
science.  A  man  must  transform  himself  into  a 
Dutchman  of  their  own  type  before  he  is  eligible. 
An  Englishman  might  as  well  try  and  transform 
himself  into  a  camel. " 

"  Then  citizenship  is  a  practical  impossibility  ?  " 
"  Now  you've  said  it.  It's  just  that  and  noth 
ing  else.  As  a  consequence  everything  here  is 
Dutch — Dutch  officials,  Dutch  courts,  Dutch 
schools,  and  until  very  recently  Dutch  churches. 
The  only  thing  here  that  isn't  Dutch  is  money. 
That's  English,  and  they're  mighty  willing  to 
accept  all  of  that  they  can  get  their  hands  on. 
That's  the  only  English  thing  they  like.  Just 
think  of  bringing  your  children  here  and  sending 
them  to  Dutch  schools,  with  Dutch  text-books 
and  Dutch  teachers,  and  compelling  them  to  ig 
nore  their  own  language,  so  far  as  these  schools  go, 
because  it  is  not  permitted  there." 

"I  should  say  so!"  commented  Jack,    almost 

under  his  breath.     His  companion  puffed  viciously 

88 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

at  a  cigar  for  a  moment.  "  And  is  there  no  hope 
of  a  change  ?  "  Jack  asked.  "  Is  it  possible  that  the 
Boers  can  lag  so  far  behind  in  the  march  of  civili 
zation  ?  It  seems  as  if  the  advancement  of  the 
times  would  almost  involuntarily  induce  them  to 
take  a  broader  view  of  the  situation. " 

"  Yes,  it  does  seem  so,"  was  the  glowering  re 
sponse,  "  but  you  don't  know  the  Dutch  character. 
To  them  the  world  means  the  limits  of  the  Trans 
vaal.  They  look  at  everything  through  their 
heavy  Dutch  eyes,  and  hear  everything  through 
ears  that  are  stuffed  with  prejudice.  As  for 
themselves,  they  look  upon  the  Boers  as  invincible 
since  Majuba  Hill.  They  forget  what  we  did  for 
them  when  the  Kaffirs  threatened  to  wipe  them 
from  the  face  of  the  earth.  Hope  of  a  change  ? 
Yes,  there  is  a  hope.  In  the  course  of  a  hundred 
years  or  so  they  may  become  sufficiently  broad  to 
realize  the  meaning  of  the  term  '  equal  rights/  but 
it  is  not  probable  even  then,  although  those  who 
were  educated  abroad  are  inclined  to  take  a  more 
liberal  view  of  things  as  they  exist  now.  Still, 
these  few  count  for  little.  There  is  another  hope. 

It's  slowly  crystallizing,  but  it's  likely  to  take  form 

89 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

one  of  these  days,  and  that  before  long.  We've 
sent  one  protest  to  Pretoria,  and  we're  sending 
another  which  will  have  a  sting  in  its  tail.  It 
may  mean  trouble,  but  I  doubt  it.  When  it 
comes  down  to  the  fine  point  they're  a  cowardly 
lot,  and  there  are  enough  of  us  here  to  support 
our  side  of  the  argument,  if  need  be.  Why,  there 
are  more  people  here  than  in  all  the  rest  of  their 
country. 

"  No,  you've  no  concern  here,"  he  continued,  in 
response  to  a  further  question  from  Jack.  "  Go 
where  the  British  flag  will  float  above  you.  There 
is  no  chance  for  you  here.  Everything  that  is 
worth  having  is  gobbled  up.  Your  means  would 
be  as  nothing.  All  that  is  likely  to  develop  will 
be  given  away  to  Germans  or  European  Dutch. 
They  are  the  pets  of  the  Government,  and  they 
control  everything  that  it  is  possible  for  the  Govern 
ment  to  give  in  the  way  of  new  concessions, 
whether  it  be  mines,  railroads,  or  rights  for  im 
porting  whiskey,  or  dynamite,  or  what  not.  No, 
you  go  your  way.  There's  no  place  for  you 
here.  Farther  north  there  are  opportunities." 

In  whatever  way  he  turned  Jack  found  this  same 
90 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

story  of  deliberate  oppression.  Even  the  Ameri 
cans  were  treated  with  some  degree  of  considera 
tion.  American  brains  and  British  capital  seemed 
to  form  the  partnership  on  which  the  mines  were 
worked.  These  were  not  the  only  representives 
for  foreign  countries  who  had  strayed  to  that  little 
section  of  the  world.  In  fact,  Cosmopolis  would 
be  a  more  fitting  name  for  the  place  than  Johannes 
burg.  Every  nation  under  the  skies  seemed  to  be 
present  by  proxy,  but  the  dominating  composite  of 
American  and  English  ideas  marked  every  feature 
of  the  place.  It  was  their  money  and  their  brains 
that  had  built  up  the  city,  and  in  its  architecture, 
at  least,  they  had  left  their  indelible  impress. 

As  was  natural,  perhaps,  in  a  place  of  such 
rapid  growth,  which  appealed  to  the  adventurous 
natures  of  all  countries,  there  was  a  class  of  para 
sites  whose  presence  could  well  have  been  dis 
pensed  with.  With  all  its  magnificence  there  was 
with  it  a  depravity  which  would  have  honored 
Whitechapel  or  the  Bowery.  This  was  apparently 
winked  at  by  the  authorities.  If  the  Outlanders 
felt  any  disposition  to  abolish  it  they  manifested 
it  only  in  occasional  spasms,  and,  as  a  whole,  not 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

having  the  right  to  legislate  it  out  of  existence, 
regarded  it  as  a  subject  for  which  they  were  not 
responsible. 

Gambling  was  an  evil  which  had  not  assumed 
general  proportions.  In  the  clubs  a  friendly  game 
was  allowed,  and  no  objection  was  raised  to  it,  and 
on  the  race  tracks  the  bookmakers  operated  with 
impunity.  They  were  not  only  tolerated,  but  a 
certain  space  was  reserved  for  them  in  which  to 
ply  their  vocation. 

Although  invited  to  participate  in  some  of  the 
social  festivities  of  the  town,  Jack  declined  these 
invitations  as  a  rule.  He  felt  himself  a  woman 
hater.  To  the  one  woman  whom  he  considered 
responsible  for  this  condition  of  affairs  he  had 
sent  a  letter,  and,  after  sending  it,  had  declared  to 
himself  that  his  faith  in  womanhood  was  eternally 
shaken.  Between  the  clubs  and  the  hotel  he 
spent  the  time  that  he  did  not  employ  riding  about 
the  country.  This  was  pleasant  enough  to  him 
until  an  incident  occurred  which  hastened  his  de 
parture  from  the  town  to  the  country  which  he  had 
decided,  while  on  the  steamer,  was  to  be  his  ulti 
mate  destination. 

92 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

At  one  of  the  clubs  he  fell  in  with  a  party  of 
jovial  spirits,  and  one  evening  he  joined  them 
over  the  brandy  and  the  cards.  Poker  was  the 
game — an  American  introduction  which  many 
found  very  fascinating.  The  stakes  usually  began 
at  a  low  figure,  but  frequently  climbed  to  alarming 
heights  during  the  excitement  of  the  game.  One 
evening  Jack  was  induced  to  take  a  hand,  by  dint 
of  much  persuasion,  and  to  join  with  an  English 
man,  an  American,  and  a  new  arrival  from  Aus 
tralia.  Under  the  influence  of  the  game,  the 
fascination  of  the  company,  and  an  occasional 
drink,  the  evening  was  passing  very  pleasantly  for 
Jack.  For  a  time  he  won  steadily,  and  then  his 
luck  seemed  to  change.  His  fortunes  went  as 
rapidly  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  finally  the 
game  began  to  become  more  exciting  under  the 
goading  of  an  occasional  high  stake.  Jack  was  the 
loser,  but  that  fact  seemed  only  to  aggravate  his 
obstinate  determination  to  persist.  He  realized 
that  over  a  hundred  pounds  of  his  money  had  gone 
into  the  pockets  of  some  of  the  others,  but  still, 
incited  by  the  fatuous  hope  of  regaining  it,  he 
persisted  in  playing  until  he  saw  a  movement  on 

93 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

the  part  of  one  of  the  others  which  made  its  way 
to  his  brain  with  the  speed  of  a  bullet.  Should 
he  protest?  He  decided  to  wait  and  watch. 
When  it  was  repeated  he  threw  down  his  hand 
with  an  oath. 

"  You're  cheating,"  he  yelled,  rising  from  his 
chair  and  pointing  his  finger  at  the  dealer,  the 
Australian. 

"  Cheating,  sir?  Be  careful  how  you  make  that 
charge,"  warned  the  other,  also  rising  to  his  feet, 
with  a  menacing  gesture  toward  his  hip  pocket. 

"  Careful  ?  "  and  he  laughed  savagely,  his  anger 
and  the  liquor  uniting  to  work  his  brain  to  a  phase 
of  recklessness.  "I  repeat  the  charge.  You're 
cheating.  I  saw  you  dealing  from  the  bottom  of 
the  pack." 

"  You  lie ! "  was  the  hot  reply,  emphasized  by 
the  presence  of  a  revolver. 

How  all  the  rest  of  it  came  about  Jack  never 
knew,  but  in  a  moment  the  revolver  had  been 
dashed  against  the  wall  by  an  angry  sweep  of  his 
arm,  and  exploded  harmlessly  on  the  floor.  Beside 
it  the  Australian  found  himself  in  the  twinkling  of 

an  eye,  knocked  by  an  angry  blow  from  the  now 

94 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

enraged  Englishman,  who  had  learned  one  thing 
of  advantage  to  him  during  his  college  career. 
The  other  two  players  now  interfered  to  prevent 
further  trouble  and  the  members  of  the  club, 
gathering  about  the  disputants,  decided  that  all 
money  should  be  returned,  and  that  the  Australian 
and  his  friends  should  be  ejected  from  the  place. 
Not  only  that,  but  they  were  told  that  their  pres 
ence  in  the  town  was  unwelcome,  and  that  they 
should  lose  no  time  in  placing  themselves  as  far 
beyond  the  border  as  possible. 

"  Curse  you ! "  said  the  enraged  Australian, 
nursing  a  swollen  spot  on  his  temple  with  his  left 
hand,  while  with  his  right  he  shook  his  fist  at 
Jack.  "  I'll  have  my  revenge." 

"  Bah !  "  was  the  contemptuous  response.  "  I 
fear  your  threats  as  much  as  I  fear  you.  Why, 
the  flag  that  floats  above  you  ought  to  be  perpet 
ually  draped  at  half  mast." 

Threatening  revenge  the  Australian  slunk  from 
the  place,  followed  by  his  American  associate. 
Jack,  now  thoroughly  sobered,  and  likewise  thor 
oughly  disgusted,  shortly  followed  him,  escorted  to 
his  hotel  by  some  of  the  club  members,  who  feared 

95 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

that  the  gambler  might  put  into  execution  his  late 
threat.  He  did  not  do  so,  however,  nor  had  he 
any  immediate  intention  of  so  doing.  He  retired 
from  public  light  for  a  few  days  to  develop  his 
plans,  for  he  meant  what  he  said,  as  Jack  was  soon 
to  learn. 

"  I'll  leave  here  at  once,"  Jack  resolved,  when 
he  had  reached  his  apartments.  "  I'm  sick  of  the 
place.  There  seems  to  be  nothing  straightfor 
ward  about  the  town,  and  the  sooner  I  get  away 
from  it  the  more  contented  I'll  feel.  Pat! " 

"Yes,  sur." 

"Begin  to  pack.  We  leave  here  without 
delay." 

"  Very  good,  sur.      Is  the  outfit  ready  ?  " 

"  It  will  be  when  you  are.     I '  11  arrange  for  that." 

"  Very  good,  sur." 

A  bright  morning  in  late  August  found  them 
on  the  road,  with  their  faces  toward  the  north. 
First  came  a  tall  Zulu  boy,  magnificently  attired  in 
a  pair  of  earrings  and  a  breech  clout.  He  carried 
in  his  hands  a  long,  slender  pole,  with  which  he 
directed  the  movements  of  the  leading  yoke  of 

oxen.     Six  more  yoke  of  oxen  followed  the  lead- 

96 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

ers,  all  hauling  a  great,  heavy  Dutch  wagon. 
This  wagon  was  covered  with  an  immense  sheet 
of  canvas,  spread  over  semi-circular  hoops,  and 
could  be  rolled  back  at  their  pleasure.  On  the 
wagon  seat  was  perched  another  Zulu  boy,  who 
aided  his  countryman  at  the  head  of  the  proces 
sion,  by  urging  on  the  oxen  with  his  whip.  He 
was  an  expert  in  the  use  of  this  implement.  It 
consisted  of  a  bamboo  pole,  as  long  as  a  fishing 
rod,  on  the  end  of  which  was  fastened  a  long 
cowhide  thong.  The  driver  would  circle  this 
about  his  head,  and  then  snap  it  with  the  accuracy 
of  a  marksman  on  any  designated  spot  of  any  one 
of  the  fourteen  oxen.  Inside  the  wagon  were 
stacked  their  stores  of  biscuit,  coffee,  tea,  sugar, 
canned  meats,  and  vegetables,  as  well  as  a  few 
cases  of  liquor.  Two  other  Zulu  boys  trotted  on 
beside  the  wagon,  while  as  an  escort  rode  Jack, 
Pat,  and  the  two  prospectors  who  had  joined  their 
fortunes  with  Jack. 


97 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE  two  new  additions  to  the  party  were  char 
acteristic  examples  of  that  cosmopolitan  army  of 
gold-seekers  to  be  found  in  whatever  section  of 
the  world  the  alluring  metal  is  discovered.  One 
was  a  tall,  raw-boned  American,  an  ungainly  but 
powerful  chap,  whose  long  arms  and  legs  gave  him 
an  appearance  of  awkwardness,  but  who  was,  never 
theless,  as  quick  as  a  panther  when  occasion  de 
manded.  He  presented  an  almost  comical  appear 
ance  as  he  bestrode  his  wiry  pony,  for  his  long  legs 
almost  touched  the  ground.  His  name  was  Har 
rington,  he  said.  His  companion  was  called 
McDonald,  "Mac"  for  short,  and  he  was  the 
antithesis  of  the  other.  He  was  short  and  thick 
set,  and  inclined  to  be  ruminative  rather  than 
talkative.  They  were  alike  in  one  respect,  in 
being  bronzed  by  exposure  to  the  sun  of  many 

lands.     Jack   had  heard  of  them  at  one  of  the 

98 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

clubs,  and  after  he  had  broached  his  scheme  to 
them,  he  found  them  only  too  willing  to  join  him. 
They  appeared  to  be  honest  fellows,  and,  what  was 
more  important,  they  had  had  experience  in  pros 
pecting  in  Australia. 

"  Ah-h-h !  "  said  Harrington,  taking  in  a  huge 
gulp  of  the  fresh  air  as  they  left  the  city  behind 
them  and  struck  into  the  open  country.  "  This 
reminds  me  of  Coleraydo." 

"  Yes  ?  "  said  Jack  inquiringly.  He  knew  his 
companion  was  an  American,  but  more  minute 
information  regarding  him  he  had  not  asked, 
being  content  to  accept  the  man  on  his  appearance. 
He  was  willing  to  learn  more  about  him,  however, 
and  his  answer  encouraged  the  other  to  proceed. 

"  Yes,"  continued  the  other,  "  there's  the  same 
bracin'  air  an'  the  same  dancin'  atmosphere. 
Even  the  hills  remind  me  o'  the  old  place." 

"  So  Colorado  is  your  home  then  ?  "  Jack  queried. 

"Well,  my  home  is  putty  nearly  anywhere  I 
hang  my  hat  up.  I  was  born  there,  howsomever. 
My  parents  trekked  it  from  New  England,  as  you'd 
say  here,  when  the  gold  fever  broke  out  on  the 
Pacific  Coast." 

99 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"I  understood  you  to  say  that  you  had  pros 
pected  for  gold  in  California  and  Australia,  too  ?  " 
continued  Jack. 

"  Yes,  an'  found  it,  too.  Mighta  had  some  o' 
it  now  if  I  hadn't  been  a  durn  fool.  Eh,  Mac  ? " 
addressing  his  comrade. 

"  Yes.     An'  same  here,"  replied  Mac. 

"Things  were  goin'  slow  in  Cal'forny,  an'  we 
were  all  excited  by  the  news  from  the  gold  fields 
of  Australia,  so  I  shipped  out  there.  Had  hard 
luck  for  a  while,  but  I  learned  a  good  many  tricks 
about  prospectin'  and  herdin',  an'  finally  I  met 
Mac,  an'  we  made  a  good  strike.  We  couldn't 
stand  prosperity,  however,  an'  after  we  sold  out 
our  claim,  we  started  out  to  celebrate.  When  we 
got  through  we  had  a  pocketful  of  experience,  an' 
that's  all.  This  time  I  intend  to  app'int  someone 
my  guardian,  an'  see  if  I  can't  put  by  enough 
t'  last  me  the  rest  o'  my  days.  This  country 
makes  some  almost  homesick,  it  minds  me  so 
much  of  Coleraydo.  I'd  like  t'  make  my  little 
pile  an'  go  back  there  t'  end  my  days." 

"Let's  hope  for  all  our  sakes  that  you'll  find 
your  wish  granted,"  said  Jack,  sprightly. 


100 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  Well,  let's  drink  to  our  swift  prosperity,"  said 
Harrington,  producing  a  flask  which  he  offered  to 
Jack. 

"  I'll  join  you  in  that,"  responded  Jack  with 
heartiness,  "and  it's  the  last  drink  I'll  take  for 
some  time — that  is,  unless  in  case  of  sickness. 
My  friends  in  Johannesburg  tell  me  that  that  stuff 
has  done  more  to  injure  the  prospects  of  white 
men  in  this  country  than  all  other  things  com 
bined — and  black  men's  chances,  too. " 

"Dunno  but  you're  right,  pardner,"  returned 
Harrington.  "  It's  served  me  more  bad  turns  than 
good  ones,  in  the  long  run.  Well,  here's  to 
health  an'  prosperity,"  he  continued,  following  the 
toast  by  raising  the  bottle  to  his  lips  and  then 
throwing  it  away.  "  I  guess  you  're  right.  A  little 
of  it  is  good  when  a  man  is  cold,  and  wet,  and 
tired,  but  the  trouble  is  that  when  a  fellow  be 
comes  his  own  doctor  he  is  apt  to  prescribe  an 
overdose  before  he  knows  it.  Still,  I'm  glad  we 
thought  to  include  some  of  it  in  the  outfit.  A 
peck  or  so  of  quinine,  a  case  of  brandy,  and  an 
other  of  gin,  are  worth  a  regiment  of  doctors, 
when  taken  at  the  proper  time,  and  under  the 

101 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

proper  conditions.  An'  where  we're  goin'  it  isn't 
easy  to  telephone  for  a  doctor  in  the  middle  o'  the 
night." 

"  I'm  afraid  he'd  be  a  long  time  comin',"  put  in 
Mac. 

"By  the  way,  what  was  the  trouble  you  had 
with  Fleetwood?"  asked  Harrington.  "I  heard 
you  had  a  little  fracas  at  the  club,  an'  they  tell 
me  you  had  a  pretty  close  call." 

"  Oh,  nothing  of  any  account ! "  Jack  replied. 
"  We  were  playing  your  great  American  game  of 
poker,  and  he  was  instructing  me  in  its  mysteries, 
when  I  saw  him  dealing  from  the  bottom  of  the 
pack  and  called  him." 

"  Pulled  a  gun  on  yer,  didn't  he? " 

"Yes,  but  he  didn't  fire  it." 

"Didn't  have  time,  did  he?  " 

Jack  laughed  carelessly  at  the  recollection. 

"That  was  what  I  heered,"  was  the  jocular 
comment.  "Well,  he  is  a  bad  lot,  an'  one  o' 
these  days  he'll  run  agin  the  muzzle  o'  somebody's 
gun — somebody  who  kin  shoot  quicker'n  he  kin— 
an'  then  there'll  be  a  post-mortem  which  the  coro 
ner '11  diagnose  as  a  case  of  suicide  after  the  fact." 

102 


A  TALE   OF  THE  AFRICAN   VELDT. 

"You  know  him,  then? " 

"No,  thank  yer.  That  is,  I  don't  know  him, 
but  I  know  of  him,  an'  I  can't  say  that  I  know 
any  good  o'  him.  I  heered  o'  him  in  Melbourne, 
five  years  ago.  I  guess  he  was  driven  out  o'  the 
place.  Now  he  seems  to  have  settled  down  here, 
with  his  slick  talk,  an'  his  dude  dress,  all  of 
which  will  cost  the  boys  a  pretty  penny  before  he 
gets  through  with  them." 

"  Well,  thank  Heaven,  we're  out  of  his  way !  " 

"We  won't  be  too  sure  o'  that  for  a  while,"  re 
sponded  Harrington.  "We'll  take  turns  on  watch 
nights,  for  from  what  I've  heard  o'  that  feller 
there's  nothin'  too  mean  nor  too  desprit  for  him 
to  do." 

"Do  you  think  he'd  dare  to  follow  us?  " 

"  Don't  know  as  he  would.  On  the  other  hand, 
don't  know  as  he  wouldn't.  Not  knowin'  nothin' 
about  it,  we're  takin'  no  chances.  If  he  does 
come  loafin'  around  here  I'll  inject  a  pill  inter 
him,  an'  it  will  be  made  o'  medicine  he  won't  like." 

But  a  week  passed  and  there  was  no  sign  of 
Fleetwood.  In  accustoming  themselves  to  the 

daily  routine  they  had  almost  forgotten  all  about 
103 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

that  incident.  There  was  a  novelty  about  the 
situation  of  which  Jack  had  not  yet  tired.  He 
laughed  as  he  took  a  survey  of  his  costume,  and 
compared  it  with  his  London  toggery,  as  he  re 
called  his  former  appearance.  Instead  of  shapely 
shoes,  he  wore  a  pair  of  heavy  boots  (into  which 
he  had  tucked  the  extremities  of  his  trousers),  a 
blue  flannel  shirt,  and  a  broad  brimmed  hat. 
There  were  the  essential  components  of  his  new 
uniform. 

The  only  drawback  on  his  spirits  was  the  slow 
progress  of  the  oxen.  If  they  averaged  a  half- 
score  miles  a  day  they  were  doing  well,  notwith 
standing  the  shouts  and  pricks  of  the  Zulus. 
Across  the  broad  veldt  they  dragged  their  slow 
steps,  then  up  hill  and  down  hill,  and  across  the 
bed  of  an  occasional  stream.  The  roads,  if  one 
could  call  them  such,  were  of  the  poorest  quality ; 
and  as  for  bridges,  such  things  were  unknown. 

At  midday  they  halted  to  rest  the  oxen  and 
cook  a  hasty  meal.  This  was  an  operation,  pas 
toral  in  its  simplicity.  A  shallow  hole  was 
scooped  in  the  ground,  in  which  a  fire  of  manure 

chips   was  built,   and  over  this  they  fried  their 
104 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

chicken  or  warmed  their  beef  or  tongue,  as  the 
case  may  have  been.  Chicken  had  the  call  as  an 
article  of  diet  because  it  afforded  fresh  food  and 
was  obtainable  from  an  occasional  farmer  whose 
house  they  passed  on  their  journey.  The  canned 
goods  supplied  a  variation  on  the  bill  of  fare,  but, 
while  entirely  acceptable,  they  lacked  the  attrac 
tion  of  a  fresh,  fried  chicken.  Coffee  they  had  in 
plenty,  and  sugar  too,  and  with  these  and  some 
biscuit  they  "lived  like  kings,"  to  quote  the 
veracious  Pat. 

At  night  they  outspanned  the  cattle,  pitched 
their  little  tent,  and  repeated  their  cooking  opera 
tion.  The  meals  of  the  Kaffirs  were  even  less 
pretentious.  A  huge  black  pot  was  their  sole 
utensil,  and  their  single  article  of  provender  was  a 
combination  they  called  "mealie,"  a  species  of 
cornmeal  mixed  with  water,  which  they  boiled  in 
their  black  pot  over  a  small  fire,  and,  when  the 
substance  had  reached  the  proper  degree  of  heat 
and  consistency,  they  ate  with  large  spoons,  direct 
ly  from  the  pot.  Knives  and  forks  and  napkins 
troubled  them  not.  They  were  happy  so  long  as 
the  mealie  held  out,  and  it  may  be  added  that 
105 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

was  not  very  long  after  this  vigorous  half  dozen 
got  at  it,  unless  the  precaution  was  taken  to  pre 
pare  a  generous  measure  for  them. 

As  a  relief  to  the  monotony  of  the  expedition, 
and  also  for  the  purpose  of  providing  an  occa 
sional  supply  of  fresh  meat  for  the  larder,  some 
members  of  the  party  were  in  the  habit  of  taking 
occasional  rides  over  the  veldt  or  among  the  kopjes 
in  the  hope  of  finding  an  occasional  springbok. 
Jack  had  been  having  poor  luck  in  his  ventures, 
and  he  volunteered  to  stay  in  charge  of  the  wagon, 
one  day,  while  Harrington  and  McDonald  started 
out.  Pat  was  also  to  remain  behind.  The  others 
had  agreed  to  catch  up  with  the  wagon  before 
nightfall.  The  air  was  filled  with  the  pleas 
ant  warmth  of  spring  and  at  noon  Jack  halted  and 
ordered  the  Kaffirs  to  outspan  and  let  the  oxen 
graze  in  a  bit  of  green  visible  from  the  wagon, 
while  he  lay  within  the  shade  jointly  offered  by 
the  cart  and  by  a  low-hanging  eucalyptus  tree. 
Pat  had  ridden  off  to  a  small  stream  for  the  pur 
pose  of  bathing  his  horse's  hoofs,  the  animal  hav 
ing  shown  signs  of  soreness.  The  soothing  quiet 

had  lulled  Jack  into  a  state  of  semi-consciousness, 
106 


A  TALE   OF   THE  AFRICAN   VELDT. 

when  there  was  a  sudden  rush  of  feet,  and  he  felt 
himself  pinioned  to  the  ground. 

"  So  we  meet  again,  don't  we?  "  asked  a  voice, 
which,  even  before  Jack  could  see  the  face  of  the 
owner,  he  knew  came  from  the  sneering  lips  of 
Fleetwood.  Beneath  the  grasp  of  the  latter  and 
a  companion,  Jack's  struggles  were  unavailing.  It 
was  the  work  of  a  moment  for  them  to  bind  him, 
hand  and  foot. 

"  Now  we'll  trouble  you  to  pay  your  just  debts," 
continued  Fleetwood. 

"There's  one  debt  that  I'll  pay  with  interest," 
was  Jack's  angry  retort. 

"  I  hope  you  won't  be  in  any  hurry  to  discount 
it,"  was  Fleetwood's  ironical  reply.  "Come, 
now,"  changing  his  tone  and  assuming  one  of 
menace,  "we've  come  out  here  for  your  money 
box.  Produce  it.  The  quicker  the  better  for 
you,  if  you  value  your  life. " 

"  Never ! " 

"  Come,  come ! "  was  the  warning  suggestion. 
"You'd  better  be  reasonable.  We're  desperate 
men,  and  we're  not  going  to  talk  all  day." 

"I'd  see  you  hanged  first." 
107 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"Look  in  the  wagon  there,"  said  Fleetwood, 
addressing  his  companion.  "  You'll  probably  find 
it  there.  If  you  don't  find  it,  and  he  won't  tell  us 
where  it  is,  we'll  leave  him  dumb  forever.  Quick, 
the  Irishman  and  the  Zulus  may  return  at  any 
moment.  In  the  mean  time  I'll  examine  his 
belt." 

Jack  made  a  vigorous  but  ineffectual  protest. 
Fleetwood  made  a  thorough  search  of  his  effects, 
and  just  as  he  had  finished  his  companion  an 
nounced  that  he  had  been  successful  in  his 
search. 

"  Sorry  to  disturb  you !  "  was  Fleetwood's  smil 
ing  remark,  as  he  shook  a  little  bag  of  gold  in 
Jack's  face,  "  but  when  a  gentleman  refuses  to  pay 
his  just  debts,  he  ought  not  to  complain  when 
they  are  collected  for  him.  I've  half  a  mind  to 
put  into  him  the  bullet  that  missed  him  at  Johannes 
burg,"  he  added,  drawing  his  revolver. 

"  No,  no !  "  protested  the  other.  "  The  report 
would  call  the  attention  of  the  Irishman  and  the 
Zulus.  Let  us  get  out  of  here  as  soon  as  pos 
sible,  and  get  our  horses. " 

"  Not  until  I  leave  him  something  to  remember 
1 08 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

me  by,"  replied  Fleetwood  savagely,  aiming  a 
blow  with  the  butt  of  the  revolver  as  he  passed 
the  prostrate  Jack.  Then  they  glided  away,  as 
silently  as  they  had  come,  and  Jack  saw  more 
stars  at  midday  than  were  visible  to  him  on  any 
ordinary  night.  For  a  moment  he  lost  conscious 
ness,  but  when  he  awoke  to  a  full  realization  of 
the  outrage  which  had  been  perpetrated  he  cried 
in  his  impotent  rage.  He  struggled  to  his  feet, 
and  was  rasping  at  his  cords  on  one  of  the  wheels 
of  the  cart,  when  Pat  put  in  an  appearance  in  the 
distance. 

"  What  th'  divil  is  the  matther  with  the  mas- 
ther?"  he  asked  himself,  quickening  the  pace  of 
the  ponies,  as  he  watched  Jack's  apparently  crazy 
motions.  "What  ails  ye,  sur?"  he  asked,  as 
soon  as  he  had  come  within  hailing  distance. 

"  Quick !     Cut  these  ropes,"  frothed  Jack. 

Pat  complied.      In  a  trice  Jack  was  free. 

"An'  who  done  this?  "  asked  Pat. 

"  Those  hounds  I  met  at  Johannesburg,"  replied 
Jack.  "Come,  follow  me,"  he  added,  vaulting 
into  his  saddle.  "  They've  got  only  a  few  minutes' 

start,  and  they've  taken  our  money." 
109 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

He  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away  before  Pat 
sufficiently  recovered  from  his  open-mouthed  as 
tonishment  to  understand  the  situation.  Then  he 
tore  along  after  his  excited  master.  In  some  re 
spects  it  was  a  foolish  chase.  Not  a  soul  was  in 
sight.  The  broad  veldt  on  the  one  side  was  de 
serted.  A  sea  of  coarse  grass,  with  an  occasional 
bowlder,  made  a  monotonous  level  for  miles.  Nor 
was  there  any  sign  of  life  among  the  low-lying 
hills  to  the  left. 

Crack !  went  a  rifle.  Crack !  Crack !  Crack  !— 
a  fusillade. 

"  There  they  are ! "  cried  Jack,  turning  his  horse 
toward  the  hills,  from  which  direction  came  the 
sound. 

"  More  power  t'  ye,  whoever  y'  are,"  muttered 
Pat,  following  suit.  Warily  they  rounded  a  kopje. 
In  the  distance  they  saw  a  figure  dashing  across  a 
level  spot.  Crack!  went  a  rifle.  The  figure 
continued  on  its  course  without  faltering.  Crack ! 
another  shot.  There  was  a  sudden  lurch,  the 
figure  of  the  rider  threw  up  its  hands,  and  then 
fell  from  the  horse. 

"  Be  the  powers  o'  war,  it's  the  Yankee  man !  " 


no 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

cried  Pat  exultingly,  a  savage  joy  filling  his  breast 
as  he  caught  sight  of  a  figure  on  a  higher  peak. 
"  I'll  bet  the  money's  safe  after  all." 

It  was  Harrington.  When  they  reached  him,  he 
was  bending  over  the  prostrate  form  of  Fleetwood's 
companion,  whose  horse  stood  grazing  nearby. 

"  Lucky  for  us  my  horse  sprained  his  foot, "  re 
marked  Harrington.  "  He's  been  visitin'  yer,  I 
take  it  ?  "  he  asked,  pointing  to  the  prostrate  figure 
at  his  feet. 

Jack  nodded. 

"Faith  he  has,  an*  small  manners  t'  him," 
quoted  Pat.  "We  were  lookin'  for  him,  when 
we  heard  yer  shot." 

"Well,  y'  kin  spare  y'rself  the  trouble  now," 
drily  replied  Harrington,  placing  his  hand  over 
the  heart  of  the  prostrate  man.  "  He's  dead,  fast 
enough." 

"  Well,  'tis  a  short  shrift  he  got,  but  he  de- 
sarved  no  betther,"  continued  Pat.  "An'  is  the 
money  with  him  ?  " 

"  No.  Guess  the  other  fellow's  got  that.  Any 
how,  it's  safe  enough.  He  looks  as  if  my  pill  had 

put  him  to  sleep,  too." 

in 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

It  was  even  so.  When  they  reached  the  other 
prostrate  form  the  sands  of  life  had  about  run  out. 
He  made  a  movement  of  his  lips,  as  if  cursing 
the  newcomers,  and  then  gazed  at  them  with  fast 
glazing  eyes  as  Harrington  felt  inside  the  bosom 
of  his  shirt,  and  after  a  moment  announced : 

"I've  got  it." 

"  I  was  resthY  my  horse  on  the  top  o'  the  hill," 
he  explained,  "  when  I  saw  these  two  chaps  ridin' 
like  mad  toward  me.  I  saw  them  headin'  for  the 
pass,  and  I  suspected  them  long  before  I  could 
make  out  who  they  were.  As  soon  as  they  came 
within  range  I  fired  and  got  this  fellow.  The 
other  fired  at  me,  and  then  started  off  across 
country,  but  I  fetched  him,  after  a  couple  of  tries. 
It  was  luck  for  us  that  my  horse  stumbled  and 
went  lame,  just  as  he  did." 

Jack  felt  himself  overcome  by  a  queer  emotion 
as  he  gazed  on  the  prostrate  gambler,  and  realized 
that  a  few  dollars  was  the  cause  of  it  all. 

"  Never  you  mind,  I'll  take  all  the  responsi 
bility,"  said  Harrington,  noticing  his  look  of  hor 
ror.  "These  fellers  are  better  out  o'  the  world 

than  in  it.     They've  got  their  just  dues — that's 
112 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

all.  In  this  country  it's  kill  or  be  killed  in  cases 
of  this  kind.  If  I've  got  t'  choose,  I'll  take  the 
fust.  We  can't  wait  for  judges  an'  courts. 
You've  got  y'r  money  back,  an'  seein'  that  their 
hosses  an'  guns  are  no  use  t'  them  now,  we'll  take 
them  in  payment  of  undertaker's  bills.  Come,  turn 
to,  and  let's  give  them  a  decent  burial,  anyway." 

"We'd  oughter  be  getting  our  bearin's  pretty 
soon,"  said  Harrington,  one  morning,  nearly  a 
month  after  they  had  left  Johannesburg,  while  the 
weary  oxen  were  slowly  tugging  up  a  steep  incline. 
"  We've  crossed  the  Limpopo,  an'  from  the  top  o' 
this  hill  we  ought  to  be  able  to  see  somethin'. 
We  can't  be  far  away  from  our  grant.  Hello! 
What's  that?"  he  cried,  as  they  reached  the 
summit.  Harrington  was  shading  his  eyes  and 
pointing  in  a  northwesterly  direction.  "  Is  that 
a  signal  of  some  sort  ?  " 

Jack  elevated  his  glass  and  gazed  long  and 
steadily.  Then  his  ordinary  calmness  gave  way 
to  the  excitement  of  a  madman. 

"The   Union  Jack,   by  all   that's   holy!"    he 

ejaculated. 

"3 


CHAPTER    IX. 

MURIEL  had  driven  to  Lady  Stanmore's  house, 
and,  without  formality,  assuming  the  privilege  of 
an  intimate  friend,  had  stalked  directly  to  her 
boudoir.  Yes,  stalked!  Her  manner  suggested 
a  feeling  of  deep  indignation,  and  yet,  Lady  Stan- 
more,  sweeping  a  swift  glance  at  her,  saw  that  she 
was  a  picture  of  indecision,  and  that  her  assumed 
determination  was  all  that  saved  her  from  dissolv 
ing  into  a  modern  Niobe. 

"  Ah,  good-morning,  my  dear !  I  trust  you  are 
well,  this  morning,"  was  Lady  Stanmore's  hearty 
greeting. 

Muriel  replied  seriatim :  "  Good-morning.  Yes, 
I'm  perfectly  well,"  and  then,  as  if  to  rule  out  all 
further  preliminaries,  she  added : 

"Just  read  that." 

Lady  Stanmore  grasped  the  sheet  of  paper  which 
Muriel  almost  thrust  into  her  face  and  rocked 

slowly  as  she  perused  it.     Muriel  sat  bolt  upright 
114 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

in  the  straightest- backed  chair  in  the  room,  tap 
ping  the  floor  with  her  right  foot  as  she  watched 
Lady  Stanmore's  lifted  eyebrows,  and  beating  a 
regular  tattoo  as  the  latter  occasionally  punctuated 
her  reading  with  an  aloud:  "Well!  Well!"  or 
"Dear  me!" 

"Well,  I  never!"  ejaculated  Lady  Stan- 
more,  slowly  folding  the  letter,  and  gazing  at 
Muriel. 

"  Did  you  ever?  "  interrogated  Muriel,  tighten 
ing  her  lips  and  giving  herself  a  twitch  of  addi 
tional  uprightness. 

"  When  did  you  get  this  ?  " 

"This  morning." 

"And  so  he's  really  gone  to  Africa? " 

"That's  what  he  says." 

"Well,  well!  I'm  astonished.  I  heard  that 
story,  but  I  thought  it  was  only  a  joke,  and  that 
he  would  eventually  return  from  some  shooting 
expedition.  You  know  he's  a  great  fellow  to 
stray  off  that  way,  without  saying  a  word  to  any 
body,  when  he  takes  a  notion. " 

"Yes,  I  know  it;  but  there  seems  to  be  no 
doubt  about  it." 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"No;  it's  dated  Johannesburg.  Yes,  and  the 
letter  bears  that  postmark.  Well,  well,  well !  I 
can  hardly  convince  myself,  but  here's  his  own 
word  for  it."  Lady  Stanmore  settled  herself 
anew  in  her  chair  and  opened  the  letter  again. 

"  *  Dear  Muriel,'"  she  read,  this  time  aloud  and 
slowly,  as  if  to  see  if  there  was  not  some  hidden 
meaning  to  each  word,  " '  I  feel  that  I  may  so  ad 
dress  you,  because  it  is  possible  it  may  be  for  the 
last  time.'  [Dear  me !]  '  Since  our  last  conversation 
I  have  thought  a  great  deal  of  what  you  said  re 
garding  the  duty  of  men  doing  something  in  the 
world,  and  I  have  finally  decided  on  a  course  for 
myself.  It  is  not  a  very  heroic  one,  and  yet  it 
seemed  to  be  the  only  thing  open  to  me.  To 
remain  in  England  was  out  of  the  question.  I 
had  fitted  myself  for  no  special  vocation,  and  so 
I  have  joined  the  great  army  seeking  a  Mecca  of 
fortune  on  this  continent.  I  am  about  to  leave 
here  for  Rhodesia.  I  have  obtained  a  grant  of 
land  there,  and  if  luck  favors  me,  may  win  some 
measure  of  success.  If  it  does  not,  then  I'll  stay 
here.  There  is  as  much  for  me  here  as  in  Eng 
land,  and  I  can  at  least  comfort  myself  with  the 
116 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

will-o'-the-wisp  of  a  hope  that  I  may  eventually 
find  luck.'     [Well,  well,  well !  ] 

"  *  I  left  you  with  somewhat  bitter  feelings,  and 
a  partial  reason  for  writing  you  was  the  desire  to 
say  that  after  thinking  over  your  remarks  on  the 
steamer  and  since  I  arrived  here,  I  have  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  you  were  right.  A  man  really 
ought  to  do  something  in  the  world.  But  what  ? 
That  was  the  conundrum  for  me.  I  saw  no  way 
to  answer  it  in  England,  and  so  I  joined  the  army 
of  young  fellows  propounding  similar  questions  to 
themselves,  and  came  out  here.  Even  now  the 
conundrum  is  as  puzzling  as  ever,  but  I  have  at 
least  the  feeling  that  I  am  honestly  trying  to  solve 
it — which  is  something. 

" '  It  is  possible  that  I  may  never  see  England 
again.  I  have  so  determined  in  case  I  do  not 
succeed,  but  the  feeling  of  bitterness  with  which 
I  left  has  given  way  to  one  that  your  suggestion 
was  a  kindly  one,  after  all,  and  I  thank  you  for  it. 
What  might  have  been  is  past.  What  may  be, 
I  cannot  say.  I  may  confess  to  you  on  paper 
what  my  lips  could  not  frame,  that  I  had  hoped  to 

find  some  measure  of  favor  in  your  eyes,  and  the 
117 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

memories  of  pleasant  hours  in  your  company  will 
be  ever  cherished  in  my  heart.  Doubtless,  should 
I  ever  return,  I  shall  find  Wallace  or  some  other 
lucky  fellow  occupying  the  place  in  your  affec 
tions  which  I  have  coveted  for  myself ;  but  even 
so,  I  shall  hope  to  be  able  ever  to  subscribe  my 
self,  as  I  do  now,  Your  friend, 

" '  JOHN  DERRINGTON.  ' 

"  Well,  well,  well ! "  said  Lady  Stanmore,  look 
ing  up  with  moist  eyes. 

"  Is  that  all  you  can  say,  Lady  Stanmore  ? " 
asked  Muriel  petulantly.  "  I  came  to  you  hoping 
to  get  some  suggestion  or  some  sympathy " 

"  My  dear,  you  know  you  have  my  sympathy, " 
interrupted  Lady  Stanmore,  with  a  slight  shadow 
of  reproof  in  her  voice,  "  but  as  for  suggestions, 
you  can  hardly  expect  to  pounce  down  on  me  so 
suddenly,  and  find  me  to  be  stocked  on  tap  with 
them.  I  am  so  surprised  to  find  that  he  is  really 
gone  that  I  can  hardly  think  of  anything  else." 

"Yes;  he's  gone,  and  I  am  the  one  that  sent 
him.  Oh,  I  am  so  miserable ! "  cried  Muriel, 

throwing  herself  at  her  friend's  feet  and  burying 
118 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

her  face  in  her  lap.  "I'm  so  miserable,"  she 
sobbed.  "  I  know  he'll  never  return  from  that  hor 
rid  place.  The  savages  will  kill  him  or  he'll  die 
of  fever,  and  it  will  be  all  my  fault." 

"  Oh,  come  now ;  don't  look  at  the  dark  side  of 
the  picture!"  said  Lady  Stanmore  soothingly. 
"  It  may  not  be  so  bad  as  that.  You  know  there 
are  hundreds  of  young  fellows  who  go  there  every 
year,  and  who  do  not  die  by  savages  or  fever. 
Let  us  look  at  the  bright  side." 

"Oh,  there  is  no  bright  side!"  cried  Muriel, 
from  the  depths  of  Lady  Stanmore's  lap,  persist 
ing  in  finding  a  solace  in  her  misery  and  a  relief 
in  her  tears. 

"  It  is  possible  that  he  may  make  a  rich  strike 
there,  and  then  he'll  come  back." 

"  But  if  he  doesn't  he  says  he  won't  come  back." 

"  Muriel,  you  surprise  me.  I  had  no  idea  that 
you  cared  so  much  for  him.  I  thought  you  had  as 
much  regard  for  several  other  young  fellows,  or 
even  more.  Now  there's  Lieutenant  Wallace,  for 
example " 

"Oh,  bother   Lieutenant   Wallace!"    broke   in 

Muriel,  springing  to  her  feet.    "That    insignifi- 
119 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

cant  little  poser.  Why,  I — I  wouldn't  marry  him 
if  he  was  the  only  man  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
and  I  had  to  remain  an  old  maid  to  the  end  of  my 
days,  otherwise." 

Lady  Stanmore  pursed  her  lips  and  drew  in  a 
long  breath  which  produced  a  soft  whistle. 

"What  a  mass  of  contradictions  you  are,  Mu 
riel,"  she  said.  "I'm  not  a  mind  reader.  How 
can  I  judge  except  by  exterior  signs?  " 

"  Lieutenant  Wallace,  indeed ! "  continued  Mu 
riel,  scornfully.  "  One  would  think,  to  see  him 
strut  about,  that  the  fate  of  all  England  rested  on 
his  shoulders,  and  that  if  he  stooped  we  would 
all  roll  off  into  space.  Lieutenant  Wallace,  in 
deed  ! " 

"  But  you  must  admit  that  you  seemed  to  regard 
him  highly.  And  there's  that  South  Polar 
man " 

"  Yes,  yes !  I  know  what  you  are  about  to  say. 
That's  what  Jack  thought,  too.  But  there  isn't 
one  of  them  to  compare  with  Jack  in  his  simple 
manliness.  Oh,  I  am  so  miserable ! "  And  the 
pent-up  tears  flowed  afresh. 

"Well,  well;  let  us  see  what  can  be  done!" 


I2O 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

said  Lady  Stanmore  comfortingly.  "Is  it  too 
late  to  write  or  to  telegraph  ?  " 

"  I  had  thought  of  that,  but  you  see  he  says  he 
is  about  to  start,  and  the  letter  is  dated  more  than 
a  month  ago.  I  suppose  by  this  time  he  is  away  in 
the  wilderness.  And  what  should  I  say  if  I  did 
telegraph  ? " 

That  was  a  poser  for  Lady  Stanmore. 

"  Possibly  we  could  write  to  some  one  in  Johan 
nesburg,  and  get  word  to  Jack  through  him. 
Johannesburg  is  a  sort  of  a  centre  for  Englishmen, 
I  believe,  and  we  might  hear  something  in  that 
way. " 

"But  what  could  we  say  in  a  letter  to  any 
body?" 

"Well,  I  really  cannot  say,"  continued  Lady 
Stanmore,  realizing  the  force  of  the  question, 
"unless " 

"  Unless  what  ?  "  asked  Muriel  quickly,  looking 
up  with  a  light  of  hope  shining  through  her  tears. 

"  Unless  we  should  find  out  where  he  is  and  see 
him,"  she  continued. 

"See  him?" 

"Yes;  go  down  there. " 

121 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"Oh,  but  that's  out  of  the  question!"  replied 
Muriel,  the  hopeful  light  fading  from  her  eyes, 
and  one  of  utter  dejection  taking  its  place. 
"  What  pretext  could  I  offer  for  going  away  down 
there  ?  I  shouldn't  want  all  the  world  to  know. 
And  perhaps  Jack  thinks  differently  now.  He 
might  stay  there,  anyway. " 

Lady  Stanmore  remained  in  deep  thought  for  a 
moment. 

"  I  have  an  idea,  Muriel.  How  would  this  do : 
Supposing  I  should  organize  a  little  party  to  leave 
London  for  the  winter  season — say  that  we  want 
to  escape  the  fogs  and  the  cold,  and  are  in  search 
of  a  little  excitement  by  travel — and  go  to  South 
Africa  for  the  winter.  We  could  go  to  Johannes 
burg — it's  quite  a  civilized  place,  I  believe.  We 
might  make  some  casual  inquiries  there,  without 
betraying  our  real  purpose,  and  possibly  we  might 
see  him.  A  very  dear  old  school  friend  lives 
there  and  she  has  several  times  invited  me  to  do 
just  that.  What  do  you  think  of  that  plan  ?  " 

"  Oh,  Lady  Stanmore !  "  cried  Muriel,  hugging 
her  in  her  excitement.  "  And  would  you — could 
you— do  that  ?  " 

122 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  I  can  and  I  will, "  was  the  determined  reply. 

"  But  your  husband,  Lord  Stanmore " 

"  Oh,  I'll  arrange  all  the  plans !  Never  mind 
about  them.  So  far  as  my  husband  is  concerned, 
he'll  do  anything  I  ask  him.  Now  you  run  home 
and  leave  me  to  think  out  the  details." 

"  Oh,  Lady  Stanmore,  I  knew  that  I  would  find 
comfort  from  you !  " 

And  with  a  hug  and  a  kiss  Muriel  was  off.  She 
stalked  out  of  the  house  with  as  much  energy  as 
she  had  manifested  upon  her  arrival,  but  it  was  in 
spired  by  an  altogether  different  emotion.  The 
earth  seemed  to  be  some  distance  beneath  her  feet. 
The  load  off  her  heart  had  permitted  her  to  rise 
until  she  felt  as  if  she  were  walking  on  clouds. 


CHAPTER   X. 

"  BUT,  dearest '  protested  Lord  Stanmore, 

when  he  had  regained  his  breath,  after  the 
proposition  had  been  presented  to  him  by  his 
wife. 

"  Now,  dear,  don't  put  any  *  buts '  into  the  mat 
ter.  I  feel  that  a  change  would  be  pleasant.  It's 
so  cold  here  during  the  winter  season.  When  it 
isn't  foggy  it's  raining,  and  if  it  isn't  raining  it's 
blowing." 

"You  seem  to  have  suddenly  changed  your 
opinion  of  a  winter  season  in  London." 

"Oh,  well!  it's  a  woman's  privilege  to  change 
her  mind  once  in  a  while.  One  grows  tired  of  the 
same  things  over  and  over  again.  I  would  like  a 
change.  Margery  Wilson — Mrs.  Brunelle,  I 
mean — has  several  times  invited  me  to  visit  her, 
and  assured  me  that  I  would  enjoy  it.  She  may 
think  that  I  do  not  appreciate  her  courtesy. 

Moreover,  it  would  be  a  delightful  experience,  and 
124 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

a  great  pleasure  to  Muriel  and  a  few  other 
friends." 

"  I  don't  quite  see  how  I  can  arrange  my  affairs," 
said  Lord  Stanmore,  rather  dubiously. 

"  Why,  you'd  have  to  arrange  your  affairs  if  we 
were  to  spend  the  season  on  the  Continent,  as  we 
had  planned,  and  the  distance  isn't  worth  men 
tioning,  by  way  of  comparison,  when  you  consider 
that  there  are  cable  facilities  which  will  put  you  in 
communication  with  London  at  very  short  notice." 

"How  soon  do  you  want  to  start ?  " 

"  In  the  course  of  a  month  or  six  weeks.  Just 
as  soon  as  we  conveniently  can.  Say  about  the 
first  of  December." 

"Whew!"  he  whistled.  "You  are  bustling 
and  no  mistake.  Well,  just  as  you  say,"  he  re 
signedly  added.  "Make  your  plans  and  I'll  see 
that  they  are  carried  out. 

" '  When  a  woman  wills,  she  will, 

You  may  depend  on't ; 
And  when  she  won't  she  won't, 
So  there's  an  end  on't,'  " 

he  quoted  with  a  laugh.     "  For  how  many  shall  I 

arrange  passage? " 

125 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"  I  don't  really  know,  yet.  There's  Muriel,  for 
one,  and  your  niece,  Georgia  Dare — and  I  suppose 
she  would  like  to  ask  her  friend,  Miss  St.  John, 
who  is  visiting  her.  Then  I  think  we  ought  to 
have  an  additional  man  or  two.  Leave  that  matter 
to  me,"  she  continued.  "  I'll  know  inside  of  a 
week  just  whom  I  will  invite." 

But  it  was  one  thing  to  invite,  and  quite  another 
to  induce  the  desired  people  to  accept.  If  it  had 
been  a  dinner,  or  a  dance,  or  a  short  trip  into  the 
country,  Lady  Stanmore's  popularity  would  have 
made  the  task  of  selection  a  difficult  one  simply 
from  the  superabundance  of  willing  material  from 
which  to  choose.  But  a  trip  to  South  Africa, 
for  three  or  four  months — they  shuddered  at 
the  proposition  and  pleaded  one  excuse  or  an 
other  until  the  good  little  woman  was  thoroughly 
angry. 

"  One  would  think  they  were  being  asked  to  go 
into  a  wilderness  where  they  would  be  obliged  to 
risk  their  precious  lives,"  she  complained  to  her 
husband,  a  day  or  two  later. 

"  Has  anybody  accepted?  " 

"Oh,  yes!  Lord  Popham  expressed  a  pleasure 
126 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

at  accepting.  I  had  to  ask  him  as  a  sort  of  a  last 
resort.  He's  not  a  bad  fellow,  however,  and  is 
quite  a  gallant  in  his  way." 

"  I  have  some  one  in  mind,  if  you  would  like  to 
make  a  little  addition  to  the  party,"  continued 
Lord  Stanmore. 

"  Who  is  it  ?  "  his  wife  eagerly  asked. 

"Mr.  Weiss." 

"  Weiss  ?  That  little  usurer  ?  Never,"  replied 
his  wife. 

"But  he's  really  not  such  a  bad  chap,  after  all," 
humbly  remonstrated  Lord  Stanmore.  "  He's  im 
mensely  wealthy,  you  know,  and  influential,  and 
he  has  been  of  great  assistance  to  me  in  some 
business  matters,  too." 

"But  I  detest  him,  with  his  chuckle  and  his 
oily  ways." 

"Really,  you're  rather  hard  on  him,  I  think. 
We  can  overlook  some  shortcomings  because  none 
of  us  are  perfect,  and  he's  quite  genial  and  enter 
taining.  Besides,  I'm  under  obligations  to  him, 
and  when  I  hinted  that  I  was  going  down  there 
for  the  winter  he  as  much  as  said  that  he  would 

like  to  make  one  of  the  party." 
127 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"  Oh,  well !  invite  him  if  you  like.  I  dare  say 
we  can  make  him  amuse  us.  Ask  him.'* 

And  so  it  was  settled.  Lady  Stanmore's  prep 
arations  were  forwarded  with  despatch,  and  in 
what  seemed  to  be  an  inconceivably  brief  space  of 
time,  considering  the  amount  of  work  accom 
plished,  they  were  on  the  train  for  Southampton. 
A  few  hours  more  and  the  Dunottar  Castle  was 
bearing  them  out  to  sea. 

"  Good -by,  old  England, "  cried  Lady  Stan- 
more,  waving  her  handkerchief  at  the  receding 
cliffs. 

"  I  hope  we  shan't  be  shipwrecked,"  was  Miss 
St.  John's  apprehensive  and  somewhat  irrelevant 
reply.  "  Dear  me,  I  feel  queerly  already.  I  know 
that  I  am  going  to  be  seasick. " 

"  Seasick  ?  Nefer  mind  dat,"  consoled  Mr. 
Weiss.  "  But  shipwrecked — don'  say  dat.  Ugh ! 
don'  say  dat!" 

It  was  really  an  unnecessary  fear.  Miss  St. 
John's  secondary  dread  was  more  substantial — 
yes,  it  was  an  actuality — but  as  the  steamer  ap 
proached  the  equator  and  the  members  of  the 

party  became  accustomed  to  its  roll,  their  experi- 
128 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

ences  on  shipboard  became  a  constant  delight. 
A  South  African  steamer  trip,  under  normal  con 
ditions,  is  an  event  to  be  remembered.  It  is 
peculiar  to  itself  in  its  pleasures.  Three  weeks  on 
the  water  gives  sufficient  time  for  all  who  care  to 
do  so  to  become  thoroughly  acquainted,  and  more 
over  it  is  a  space  of  time  which  actually  demands 
companionship.  The  passengers  aboard  were 
largely  English,  with  a  few  scattering  representa 
tives  of  other  nationalities.  The  gentlemen 
aboard  clubbed  together  and  made  up  a  pool  for 
prizes,  and  then  resolved  themselves  into  commit 
tees  for  various  kinds  of  sports.  Think  of  a  ten 
nis  game  aboard  ship !  One  side  of  the  steamer 
was  encompassed  by  netting,  to  prevent  the  balls 
from  being  knocked  overboard,  and  within  this 
enclosure  a  large  number  of  the  saloon  passengers 
found  daily  diversion.  Then  there  were  quoits, 
running  races  participated  in  by  both  sexes, 
hurdle  races,  obstacle  races  with  comical  attendant 
features,  egg  races,  and  so  on.  Miss  Dare  won 
the  egg  race,  which  consisted  of  holding  an  egg 
on  a  spoon  and  running  a  certain  distance  on  the 

deck.     This  is  a  feat  which  requires  skill  rather 
129 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

than  speed,  as  some  of  those  who  participated  as 
certained  to  their  sorrow,  when,  in  their  anxiety  to 
outstrip  competitors,  their  spoons  permitted  the 
eggs  to  drop  to  the  deck  and  disqualify  the  unfor 
tunate  contestants.  Then  there  was  a  tug-of-war 
between  teams  selected  from  members  of  the  crew 
in  different  departments  of  the  ship,  and  so  it  went 
for  days,  until  nearly  everybody  aboard  had  won 
a  trophy.  The  games  lasted  for  a  week,  when  all 
interested  ceased  from  sheer  exhaustion.  Then 
the  prizes  were  again  pooled,  and,  at  Muriel's  sug 
gestion,  distributed  among  the  stokers,  the  waiters, 
and  the  seamen. 

By  way  of  intermission  the  steamer  crossed  the 
equator,  and  this  incident  opened  up  new  possibil 
ities  ;  in  fact,  it  brought  forth  the  principal  event 
of  the  voyage.  Instead  of  hauling  Father  Nep 
tune  aboard,  as  was  the  custom  on  old  English 
ships,  the  occasion  was  celebrated  by  a  fancy  dress 
ball  in  which  everybody  participated.  Each  per 
son  had  a  grotesque  costume  of  some  kind.  Those 
who  had  made  previous  voyages  on  the  line  had 
provided  themselves  with  the  necessary  outfits, 

but  even  those  who  had  made  no  particular  prep- 
130 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

aration  for  such  an  affair  found  themselves  lack 
ing  but  few  of  the  essential  details  of  such 
costumes,  thanks  to  the  shrewd  foresight  of  the 
stewards,  who  rejoiced  in  the  opportunity  to  make 
an  honest  penny.  Lady  Stanmore  found  a  big 
ruff,  and  with  a  little  more  material  she  converted 
herself  into  a  supposed  resemblance  to  good 
Queen  Bess.  Lord  Stanmore  was  transformed 
into  a  modern  London  bobby,  a  combination  which 
was  in  comical  contrast  to  that  of  his  wife.  Lord 
Popham  became  Charles  I.  What  to  do  with  Mr. 
Weiss  was  a  conundrum,  but  Lady  Stanmore 
solved  it  by  smearing  him  with  some  grease  paint, 
and  telling  him  to  act  naturally.  Muriel  was 
induced  to  join  the  fun  as  the  mournful  Mary 
Queen  of  Scots,  a  character  she  found  quite  suited 
to  her  disposition,  and  Miss  St.  John  and  Miss 
Dare  were  quite  sentimental  as  Little  Bo- Peep 
and  Red  Riding  Hood,  respectively. 

The  evening  was  spent  dancing  on  deck  to  the 
music  of  the  ship's  band,  and  taken  altogether  it 
was  quite  a  memorable  occasion.  The  prepara 
tions  for  the  affair  and  the  subsequent  discussion 
of  it  consumed  another  week,  and  it  seemed  as  if 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

but  a  few  days  had  passed  when  the  captain  an 
nounced  at  dinner : 

"We'll  sight  Table  Mountain  by  to-morrow 
noon." 

At  which  there  was  a  disappointed  murmur. 
The  large  family  on  board  had  become  so  interest 
ing  to  its  individual  members  that  most  of  them 
regretted  the  separation.  But  it  had  to  be.  Two 
days  later  the  train  from  Cape  Town  had  borne 
them  to  Johannesburg.  Mr.  Brunelle  met  them 
at  the  station,  and  they  expressed  to  him  their  de 
light  at  the  trip. 

"  Yes,  it  is  a  matter  of  pleasure,  now,"  he  re 
plied,  "  but  when  I  first  made  it,  ten  years  ago,  I 
travelled  the  greater  part  of  the  distance  on  horse 
back,  and  most  of  the  material  for  my  house  was 
hauled  from  the  coast  by  oxen." 


132 


CHAPTER    XI. 

"  ISN'T  this  delightful  ? "  asked  Miss  St.  John, 
for  the  hundredth  time,  as  the  party  sat  on 
the  broad  veranda  of  Mrs.  Brunelle's  residence, 
one  pleasant  morning  a  few  days  after  their  ar 
rival. 

"Indeed  it  is,"  Lady  Stanmore  complacently 
responded,  looking  around  as  if  to  demand  a  com 
plimentary  remark  on  her  foresight  and  judgment 
in  selecting  the  trip. 

"Just  think!"  continued  Miss  St.  John,  with 
an  excited  little  laugh,  "to-morrow's  Christmas. 
Would  you  ever  believe  it  ?  Here  we  are,  sitting 
in  the  open  air,  dressed  in  summer  frocks,  while 
our  friends  at  home  are  doubtless  shivering  with 
the  cold." 

"Yes;  or  groping  their  way  through  a  fog  so 
thick  that  one  might  cut  it  with  an  ax." 

"  If  the  old  saying,  *  a  green  Christmas  makes 
a  fat  graveyard,'  is  literally  borne  out  here,  there 


MURIEL    STERLING. 

ought  to  be  a  number  of  funerals  hereabouts. 
How  funny  it  does  seem,  after  all,  to  be  sitting 
here  at  this  time  of  year.  I  can't  really  seem  to 
comprehend  it.  Sometimes  I  pinch  myself  to  see 
if  I  am  actually  awake.  The  whole  country  is  so 
different  from  what  I  expected." 

"  Yes ;  just  think  of  it !  We  started  out,  pre 
pared  to  '  rough  it,'  as  the  men  say,  and  we  find 
ourselves  in  a  centre  of  civilization  so  lively  from 
a  business  and  social  point  of  view  that,  really,  I 
feel  like  a  country  dame  several  years  behind  the 
times.  Instead  of  rough  houses,  we  are  invited 
to  the  most  magnificent  establishments,  filled  with 
every  imaginable  luxury. " 

"  Why,  what  did  you  expect  to  find  ? "  asked 
Mrs.  Brunelle,  who  had  just  joined  the  group. 

"Well,  I  hardly  know,"  stammered  Clara,  who 
had  not  noticed  Mrs.  Brunelle's  arrival.  "  Cer 
tainly  nothing  on  the  scale  of  magnificence  which 
we  see  on  every  side.  I  don't  mind  confessing  to 
you  that  I  felt  actually  dowdy  at  the  ball,  last 
night,  in  the  presence  of  all  those  magnificently 
dressed  women.  And  yet,  I  wore  my  newest 
gown,  and  thought  I  was  looking  my  best." 


A  TALE  OP  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

Mrs.  Brunelle  laughed  heartily  at  the  implied 
compliment. 

"  Dear  me !  You  didn't  expect  to  find  us  going 
about  like  savages,  did  you  ?  " 

"Oh,  no,  no;  not  that!  But  I  didn't  have  the 
slightest  idea  that  I  would  step  into  a  ballroom 
filled  with  Paris  gowns  not  two  months  out  of  the 
designer's  hands,  and  even  now  just  appearing  in 
the  fashion  publications." 

Again  Mrs.  Brunelle  laughed.  "  Why,  my  dear, 
we  keep  more  closely  in  touch  with  such  things 
here  than  you  do  in  London.  As  soon  as  a  new 
thing  makes  its  appearance  it  is  ordered,  and  in 
side  of  a  month  it  is  being  worn  here." 

"  It  is  not  only  that,  but  the  entire  place  that 
has  impressed  me,"  broke  in  Lady  Stanmore. 
"  Really,  Margery,  I  know  you'll  pardon  me,  but 
when  I  heard  that  you  were  living  in  a  place  that 
ten  years  ago  was  a  desert,  I  really  pitied  you. 
But  now — now  that  I've  had  a  chance  to  see  it 
with  my  own  eyes — I  envy  you.  Here  are  thea 
tres,  and  balls,  and  parties  enough  to  turn  one's 
head.  And  the  very  nicest  of  society,  too." 

"Yes,"    replied   Mrs.   Brunelle,    with    a   little 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

doubtful  falter.  "  The  society  as  a  whole  is  very 
good.  Some  of  it,  of  course,  is  a  little  bit  par- 
venuish,  but  you  must  make  some  allowances  for  a 
place  so  young.  It  would  be  a  somewhat  difficult 
matter  to  trace  an  ancestry  in  this  country,"  she 
added  with  a  laugh. 

"  I  shouldn't  think  you'd  want  to,"  was  Lady 
Stanmore's  smiling  retort.  "  That  is,  unless  you 
wanted  to  bow  down  to  a  black  Kaffir  or  a  rough - 
looking  old  Boer.  I  should  think  you  wouldn't 
care  to  claim  kinship  with  either,  to  judge  from 
the  looks  of  them. " 

"We  don't,"  was  the  prompt  retort.  "More 
especially  the  Boers.  They  hate  us,  and  we  hate 
them.  They'd  poison  all  the  English  if  they 
could.  We  have  nothing  in  common,  whatever. 
The  only  cloud  on  our  pleasure  comes  from  them. 
They've  ground  us  so  with  taxes  and  other  stupid 
things  that  the  men  are  now  talking  of  revolting, 
even  if  they  bring  on  a  war.  Oh,  it's  really  hor 
rid!  You've  no  idea  how  nervous  it  makes  me 
feel.  My  husband  is  down  at  the  club  nearly 
every  night,  talking  over  these  matters,  and  when 

he  comes  home  he's  so  gloomy  that  there  is  hardly 
136 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

any  pleasure  in  having  him  around.  Between  his 
business  and  these  meetings  I  hardly  get  a  mo 
ment  with  him.  They've  sent  a  protest  to  old 
Kruger,  and  told  him  they  would  revolt  if  he  did 
not  modify  some  of  the  grievances  of  which  they 
complained,  and  now  they're  waiting  to  see  what 
will  come  of  it.  There  is  a  terrible  feeling  in  the 
place,"  she  continued,  lowering  her  voice  as  if  she 
feared  being  overheard,  "  you  can  form  no  idea  of 
how  mad  the  men  are.  And  they're  getting  ready 
for  a  desperate  turn,  for  they  have  been  importing 
guns  and  ammunition  for  weeks  past,  and  some  of 
the  miners  are  even  now  being  drilled  so  as  to  be 
ready  to  fight.  We're  putting  a  brave  face  on  it, 
but  I'm  ready  to  leave  town  at  an  hour's  notice. " 

"  Dear  me !  I  hope  we  are  not  going  to  be 
killed.  I  had  no  idea  that  there  was  any  such 
trouble  threatening,"  cried  Miss  St.  John. 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  mean  to  frighten  you ! "  con 
tinued  Mrs.  Brunelle  soothingly.  "It  may  not 
amount  to  anything.  The  men  are  simply  get 
ting  ready,  and  if  they  can  show  old  Kruger  that 
they  mean  business,  they  think  he  will  come  down 
from  his  high  and  mighty  perch.  Still,  as  I  say, 


MURIEL    STERLING. 

there  is  a  possibility  of  danger,  and  there's  no 
knowing  when  it  will  appear." 

"  Oh,  dear,  I  wish  we  had  not  come ! "  whim 
pered  Miss  St.  John.  "Hark!  Don't  you  hear 
that  terrible  noise?  I'm  sure  that  is  the  signal, 
now.  Don't  you  hear  it?  " 

As  they  listened  a  wild  murmur  was  borne 
faintly  on  the  breeze.  Now  the  tempo  was  slow 
and  the  music  soft  and  dreamy;  again  the  tempo 
quickened  and  the  character  of  the  songs  became 
shrill  and  fierce.  To  the  timid  uninitiated  it  cer 
tainly  was  appalling  in  it's  savage  weirdness  and 
restrained  vehemence,  and  the  visitors  felt  a 
strange  fear  as  the  murmur  came  to  their  ears. 
Mrs.  Brunelle  laughed  until  the  tears  came  to  her 
eyes  as  she  observed  the  alarm  of  her  callers. 

"No,  no!"  she  ejaculated,  between  spasms  of 
laughter,  as  she  tried  to  reassure  her  guests. 
"  There's  no  danger — absolutely  none.  This  will 
be  a  spectacle  worth  seeing." 

While  she  was  speaking  the  murmur  grew  more 
and  more  distinct  as  the  origin  of  it  approached 
nearer  and  nearer.  Eventually,  from  around  a 

corner  of  a  street,  the  cause  of  it  emerged.     A 
138 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

party  of  about  a  hundred  black  men  were  march 
ing,  chanting  in  their  own  dialect,  and  showing  in 
their  manner  the  effect  of  the  song  upon  them 
selves.  One  moment  they  would  be  sad  and  de 
jected;  the  next  moment  excited  and  warlike. 
All  the  while  they  marched  in  time  with  the 
music,  clumsily  dressed  in  imitation  European 
fashion,  with  the  exception  of  huge  white  turbans 
wound  about  their  heads,  which  presented  a  pictur 
esque  contrast  to  their  black  skins  and  kinky  hair. 

"  Our  washboys,"  explained  Mrs.  Brunelle. 
"  They  come  into  the  city  once  a  month  for  their 
licenses  and  march  about  in  this  way.  Pardon  me 
for  laughing.  It  scared  me  blue  the  first  time  I 
heard  it,  but  it  has  become  such  an  old  story  to  me 
now  that  it  convulsed  me  when  I  noticed  the  effect 
it  had  on  you,  after  my  bugaboo  tales.  No,  it's 
no  uprising,  although  I  have  shuddered  when  I 
have  tried  to  picture  the  thousands  of  these  fel 
lows,  then  wholly  savage,  opposed  to  the  few 
whites  of  a  few  years  ago." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  Kaffirs  had  passed,  and 
their  song  had  become  a  reminiscent  echo. 

"  I  should  think  you'd  leave  here  if  such  immi- 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

nent  danger  threatens,"  continued  Miss  St.  John. 

"  Leave  it  for  whom  ?  "  she  asked  indignantly. 
"The  Boers?  Why,  we  built  up  this  place. 
Why  should  we  leave  it  when  we  are  stronger 
than  they  are?" 

"  But  if  they  should  attack  you  ? " 

"Well,  that's  only  a  possibility.  If  they 
should,  I  should  leave  the  place  for  a  time,  but 
I'd  return,  because  their  attack  would  mean  noth 
ing.  In  the  end,  we'd  conquer,  and  not  only  keep 
what  we've  got,  but  take  all  they  possess.  No, 
no!  they  have  more  at  stake  than  we." 

"  Oh,  I  hope  there  will  be  no  fighting!  "  ejacu 
lated  Miss  St.  John.  "  I  fear  I  shall  have  that 
thought  on  my  mind  night  and  day  until  I  am  on 
my  way  to  England  again." 

"  Oh,  don't  worry  about  that !  I've  heard  that 
kind  of  talk  during  the  five  years  I  have  been 
here,  and  nothing  serious  has  yet  happened. 
We'll  be  safe  enough.  Have  no  fears  on  that 
score. 

"  Ah,  Lord  Popham,  I  trust  you  have  been  enjoy 
ing  yourself ! "  she  continued,  addressing  the 

newcomers,  his  lordship  and  Mr.  Weiss. 

140 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  In  the  most  chawming  manner,"  his  lordship 
replied,  appearing  almost  enthusiastic,  in  spite  of 
himself.  "  We've  been  down  to  the  Rand  Club. 
Delightful  place,"  he  commented. 

"  You  bedt !  "  chimed  in  Mr.  Weiss,  reminis- 
cently  smacking  his  lips. 

"Delightful  fellows,  y'  know,"  continued  his 
lordship.  "  Bah  Jove,  I  was  delighted  with  them. 
So  smart  and  clever,  y'  know." 

"  Yes ;  our  titles  here  are  very  limited.  Some  of 
the  family  trees  couldn't  be  climbed  very  far,  but  as 
you  say,  there  are  some  very  delightful  people  here. 
It's  really  an  aristocracy  of  brains.  It  almost 
makes  my  own  head  whirl  when  I  look  back  at  the 
five  short  years  that  I  have  been  here.  And  yet, 
when  measured  by  accomplishments,  they  seem 
long.  Do  you  know,  I'm  really  one  of  the  oldest 
inhabitants,  quite  an  oracle,  so  to  speak,  and  yet, 
every  time  I  go  out  for  a  drive,  I  seem  to  feel  the 
need  of  a  map,  so  rapidly  are  new  buildings  chang 
ing  the  surrounding  appearances.  Yes,  it's  one 
of  the  pleasantest  spots  in  the  world,  and  I'll  ven 
ture  the  prediction  that  within  the  memories  of  all 

of  us  there  will  come  a  time  when  Johannesburg 
141 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

will  be  one  of  the  great  centres  of  the  world. 
But,  come!  I've  bragged  and  preached  long 
enough.  Before  you  return  to  England  there's 
one  event  I  wish  you  to  enjoy — the  most  captivat 
ing  thing  you  have  yet  seen.  It's  the  races  of 
Christmas  week.  That  is  a  sight  worth  seeing. 
I  want  you  to  tell  your  friends  about  that  when 
you  return.  I'll  wager  it  will  astonish  you.  And 
I  give  you  fair  warning  that  you  will  need  your 
finest  dresses  if  you  intend  to  try  and  rival  us 
natives,"  she  added  with  a  laugh,  as  the  party 
withdrew  into  the  house. 

"  Muriel,  I  have  news  of  him,"  said  Lady  Stan- 
more,  calling  the  girl  aside  after  they  had  returned 
to  the  house. 

"Of  whom?     Jack?" 

"  Yes ;  Lord  Stanmore  had  been  commissioned 
by  me  to  make  some  casual  inquiries,  and  has 
learned  that  he  left  here  three  or  four  months  ago 
to  go  up  to  a  ranch  in  Rhodesia.  He  had  an  ex 
cellent  outfit  and  some  experienced  prospectors  for 
companions.  He  left  orders  to  have  his  mail  de 
livered  at  the  club  and  sent  to  him  by  any  parties 

going  in  his  direction." 

142 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"And  could  we  go  up  there?  " 

"I'm  afraid  not,  dearest.  It's  an  overland 
journey  of  some  hundreds  of  miles,  through  a  wild 
country,  and,  in  the  present  unsettled  state  of 
affairs,  is  out  of  the  question." 

"  Then  we  are  as  far  from  him  as  ever." 

"  By  no  means.  This  place  will  be  his  head 
quarters.  Someone  may  be  going  his  way  any 
day,  and  we  can  then  send  him  word  of  our  pres 
ence.  That  will  bring  him  here  at  once.  Don't 
worry.  We'll  succeed  yet." 


CHAPTER    XII. 

IT  was  a  queer  scene  that  met  the  gaze  of  Jack 
and  his  friends  as  they  proceeded  in  the  direction 
of  the  flag  so  suddenly  unfolded  to  their  view. 
The  bunting  waved  defiantly  from  the  top  of  a 
tall  tree,  the  branches  of  which  had  been  lopped 
off  so  as  to  convert  it  into  a  permanent  flagstaff. 
Beneath  the  shadow  of  the  flag  were  clustered  two 
odd- looking  structures,  one  of  corrugated  iron,  the 
other  a  native  hut.  To  the  newcomers,  this  lit 
tle  settlement  in  the  heart  of  a  wilderness  seemed 
at  first  like  a  figment  of  their  imagination.  The 
only  sign  of  life  about  the  place  was  the  presence 
of  a  couple  of  Kaffirs  at  the  door  of  the  little  iron 
house.  They  gazed  stupidly  at  Jack  and  Harring 
ton,  who  had  ridden  ahead  to  make  inquiries  re 
garding  the  presence  of  the  British  flag  in  this 
obscure  corner  of  the  world,  and,  in  response  to 
the  gestures  of  the  visitors,  disappeared  into  the 

house  to  summon  the  occupants.     Presently  one 
144 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

of  the  latter  made  his  appearance.  He  had  evi 
dently  been  awakened  from  a  sound  sleep,  for  he 
came  to  the  door  in  a  semi-negligee  costume,  rub 
bing  his  eyes  and  apparently  not  understanding 
for  what  purpose  his  black  servant  had  disturbed 
him. 

"  Hallo ! "  he  cried,  staring  in  surprise  at  the 
sight  of  the  two  visitors.  "Strangers?  And 
white  men,  too !  Welcome,  friends,"  he  continued* 
recovering  from  his  surprise  and  delightedly 
grasping  their  hands.  "Welcome  to  Castle  Vic 
toria.  Won't  you  dismount  and  accept  our 
hospitality?  Do!  By  the  way,  I  haven't  intro 
duced  myself.  Henry  Alexander,  at  your  service, 
Englishman  by  birth,  and  adventurer  by  choice. 
Out  here  in  search  of  the  golden  fleece  and  not 
particular  whether  we  find  it  on  the  backs  of  our 
sheep  or  in  a  paying  streak  of  quartz.  Come  in 
and  meet  my  fellow  fortune-hunters.  They're  not 
awake  yet,  but  I'll  rout  them  out.  We  sat  up 
rather  late  last  night,  playing  cards  and  drinking 
whiskey,  which  is  our  chief  diversion,  with  the  re 
sult  that  we're  not  as  chipper  as  usual,  this  morn 
ing.  Jenkins,  oh,  Jenkins !  "  he  bawled,  as  he  led 
US 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

the  way  into  the  little  house,  following  it  up  with, 
"  Sandy,  oh,  Sandy !  " 

A  duet  of  grunts  betrayed  the  fact  that  a  tier  of 
bunks  on  one  side  of  the  large  room,  which  formed 
the  only  apartment  in  the  place,  had  two  occupants, 
and  after  considerable  grumbling  a  pair  of  paja- 
mahed  figures  gazed  with  sleepy  astonishment  at 
the  visitors,  and  finally  managed  to  reach  a  stand 
ing  position.  Alexander  roared  with  laughter  at 
the  absurd  appearance  of  his  friends.  "Mr. 
Arthur  Jenkins  and  Mr.  David  Sanderson,  gentle 
men,"  he  managed  to  articulate,  between  gasps  of 
laughter.  The  two  sleepy  figures  bowed,  and  then 
advanced  to  emphasize  the  introduction  with  a 
hearty  hand  clasp. 

"  I'll  say  for  them  that  we're  glad  to  see  you," 
continued  Alexander.  "They'd  say  so  if  they 
could  think  of  the  words  and  their  tongues  were 
not  so  thick.  The  fact  is,  that  we've  all  got  what 
is  generally  known  as  a  dark  brown  taste  in  our 
mouths,  this  morning.  But,  come,  make  your 
selves  at  home." 

"  It  might  be  well  for  us  to  introduce  ourselves," 

remarked  Jack.     "  My  friend  here  is  Frank  Har- 
146 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

rington,  an  American.  My  name  is  John  Der- 
rington,  an  Englishman,  like  yourselves.  I  may 
add  that  our  purpose  in  coming  to  this  country  is 
exactly  the  same  as  your  own. " 

"  Well,  I  hope  you'll  have  better  luck  than  we 
have  had,"  replied  Alexander.  "  We  haven't  paid 
expenses  since  we've  been  here.  I  don't  know  as 
that  is  the  fault  of  the  country,  however.  I  fancy 
we're  largely  to  blame  ourselves.  We've  mixed 
up  too  much  card-playing  and  whiskey  with  our 
proposed,  or  supposed,  work.  We're  down  to  our 
last  case  of  square-faced  gin  now,  and  I  believe  it 
will  be  a  good  thing  for  us,  from  a  business  point 
of  view,  when  even  the  last  bottle  is  gone.  Then 
we'll  feel  the  necessity  of  doing  some  real  work, 
for  diversion,  if  for  no  other  reason." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  here  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  Nearly  a  year  now,"  replied  Alexander. 

"  You  seem  to  be  very  comfortably  situated," 
Jack  continued,  glancing  around  the  room. 

"  Yes ;  we  do  pride  ourselves  that  we  are  pretty 
well  fixed,  all  things  considered.  See  our  piano  ? 
Take  a  good  look  at  it.  It  will  be  the  last  one 
you'll  see  for  many  a  day,  unless  you  have  in- 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

eluded  one  in  your  outfit.  We  were  bound  to 
have  all  the  comforts  of  hcme,  or  as  many  as  it 
would  be  possible  to  transport  here,  so  we  hauled 
the  piano  up  here,  and  it  has  been  our  salvation 
during  many  a  dull  period." 

Alexander  also  called  attention  to  the  pictures 
which  hung  on  the  walls  and  to  some  beautiful 
rugs  on  the  floor. 

"Sandy  doesn't  live  with  us,"  he  continued. 
"  His  aesthetic  tastes  run  in  a  different  groove  from 
ours,  so  he  fixed  up  for  himself  that  native  hut 
next  door.  Last  night  he  was  unable  to  find  his 
way  home,  so  we  put  him  up  for  the  night." 

While  they  were  chatting  in  this  friendly  fashion 
the  outfit  and  the  other  members  of  Jack's  party 
arrived.  McDonald  and  Pat  were  greeted  as  effu 
sively  as  Jack  and  Harrington  had  been.  The 
oxen  were  "  outspanned,"  and  the  host  insisted 
that  the  visitors  should  be  their  guests  for  three 
or  four  days,  at  the  least.  It  was  a  memorable 
visit.  The  hosts  were  genial  fellows,  and  what 
with  drinking  and  smoking,  an  occasional  game 
of  cards,  and  several  hunting  expeditions  the  days 

were  altogether  too  short. 
148 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  These  Boer  neighbors  of  yours  are  not  a  very 
friendly  lot,"  Jack  happened  to  remark,  recalling 
some  of  the  experience  of  his  trip,  and  thereby 
opening  a  sore  spot  in  every  Englishman's  heart. 
"They  seem  to  have  a  special  dislike  for  all 
Englishmen. " 

"Yes,  the  beggars;  they  hate  us  worse  than 
they  hate  the  devil.  Did  you  have  an  encounter 
with  any  of  them  ?  " 

"  Well,  one  of  our  oxen  became  footsore,  so  we 
took  him  out  of  the  yoke  and  got  along  without 
him  for  a  while.  One  day  we  encountered  a  steep 
hill,  and  as  the  poor  beasts  were  not  quite  equal  to 
the  task  of  hauling  up  the  wagon,  I  rode  back  to 
a  Boer  farm  which  we  had  passed  an  hour  before, 
to  ask  for  the  assistance  of  a  yoke  of  oxen.  I  was 
willing  to  pay  for  the  service,  but  the  old  chap  re 
fused  me,  and  when  I  told  him  I  was  English,  in 
response  to  his  direct  question,  he  refused  me 
even  more  emphatically  than  before — wouldn't 
have  anything  to  say  to  me  in  fact.  When  I  re 
turned  to  the  wagon  and  told  my  partners  of  the 
failure  of  my  mission,  Harrington  laughed  and 

volunteered  to  get  the  oxen  without  any  trouble. 
149 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

And  he  did.  He  went  back  to  the  same  old 
farmer,  told  him  he  was  an  American,  gave  him  a 
bit  of  flattery,  and  returned  with  two  fine  yoke  of 
oxen,  in  charge  of  a  couple  of  Kaffirs  who  were 
instructed  to  take  us  a  day  farther  on  our  trip,  and 
then  bring  the  extra  oxen  back  home.  Not  only 
that,  but  Harrington  brought  back  some  fresh 
eggs  and  a  couple  of  fat  chickens,  which  the 
farmer  had  given  him.  He  refused  payment  of 
any  kind  for  the  courtesy,  too." 

Alexander  and  the  others  laughed  heartily  as 
Jack  described  his  discomforture.  "He  was  a 
good  sample  of  the  whole  tribe,"  he  commented. 
"  If  they  take  a  fancy  to  you,  there's  nothing  in 
the  world  they  won't  do  for  you,  but  if  they  dislike 
you — Ugh ! — they  can  be  absolutely  dirty  in  their 
treatment.  No  Englishman  is  welcomed.  He  is 
regarded  as  an  intruder  whose  one  idea  is  to  dis 
possess  them  and  take  away  from  them  the  centre  of 
their  tuppenny  government.  No  matter  how  decent 
a  fellow  may  be,  or  how  honorable  his  motives,  if 
he's  an  Englishman,  that  settles  his  character  in 
their  eyes.  Well,  we  don't  have  any  of  them 
across  the  river  here — that's  one  consolation. " 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

It  seemed  to  the  visitors  as  if  they  never  could 
leave  Castle  Victoria,  so  much  was  there  in  the 
way  of  entertainment  and  instruction  for  them. 

"  Our  live  stock  is  practically  no  trouble  to  us," 
explained  Alexander,  as  he  and  Jack  drove  over  a 
section  of  the  grant  of  the  Englishman.  "Our 
niggers  look  out  for  them.  The  country  is  fertile 
in  spots  and  supplies  them  with  plenty  of  food 
and  water.  You  will  have  no  trouble  in  getting 
enough  to  stock  your  place  from  the  natives 
farther  up,  but  you  will  need  to  be  canny  in  bar 
gaining  with  them,  because  they're  a  shrewd  lot. 
However,  I  fancy  you'll  be  able  to  make  a  dicker 
with  them.  If  the  rinderpest  doesn't  strike  you, 
you  will  find  your  herds  increasing  rapidly,  and 
you  can  devote  much  of  your  own  spare  time  to 
seeing  if  there  is  any  gold  under  your  feet. " 

"  Rinderpest  ?     What's  that  ?  " 

"Oh,  that's  a  disease  of  the  cattle!  It's  tough 
when  it  comes,  but  it  may  not  reach  you  at  all. 
Anyhow,  there's  no  sense  in  worrying  about  it. 
There's  nothing  you  can  do  to  ward  it  off." 

"And  the  market?" 

"Oh,  there  will  be  a  demand  for  all  you   can 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

raise,  and  at  prices  which  will  make  the  venture 
worth  while,  even  if  you  do  not  succeed  in  find 
ing  gold.  You  see,  everybody  here  is  crazy  to 
find  gold  or  diamonds,  and  those  Dutchmen  fur 
nish  practically  everything  in  the  line  of  food  that 
is  not  imported.  You  can  drive  your  stuff  to  Pre 
toria,  or  Johannesburg,  or  Mafeking,  and  be  sure 
of  finding  a  market." 

"  But  don't  you  keep  in  touch  with  the  outside 
world  at  all?" 

"  Oh,  to  be  sure !  Of  course  we  don't  have  tram 
cars,  and  electric  lights,  and  telephones,  and  all 
that  sort  of  thing,  but  we  have  our  mail  sent  to 
Fort  Tuli,  and  when  one  of  us  goes  down  for  sup 
plies,  which  we  do  every  couple  of  months,  we  get 
our  mail  and  a  stock  of  newspapers  and  general 
reading  matter.  I  tell  you,  this  life  gives  me  an 
appreciation  of  the  value  of  something  to  read. 
We  fairly  devour  the  newspapers,  even  to  the  ad 
vertisements." 

"Now  about  the  natives?  Are  they  trouble 
some?" 

"  Not  at  all.  They  have  been  taught  to  mind 
their  own  business.  Those  who  have  come  in 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

contact  with  us  have  been  very  friendly.  Keep  a 
sharp  eye  on  your  own  niggers.  They're  only 
one  degree  removed  from  savagery,  but  with  a 
careful  combination  of  kindness  and  firmness, 
you'll  have  no  trouble  with  them." 

The  last  night  of  the  visitors'  stay  was  devoted 
to  what  Alexander  described  as  a  howling  jam 
boree.  He  took  his  place  at  the  piano,  and  the 
others  joined  hands  around  the  room  and  roared 
out  choruses  until  the  very  air  seemed  startled  at 
the  unusual  commotion.  In  the  morning  Jack 
and  his  companions  took  their  departure. 

"  Well,  'twill  not  be  for  long,"  said  Alexander,  as 
he  and  the  other  two  hosts  bade  them  farewell, 
after  having  ridden  several  miles  with  them  as  an 
escort.  "We're  neighbors.  Your  camp  will  be 
only  about  forty  miles  away,  and  we'll  drop  over 
and  pay  you  a  visit  as  soon  as  you  are  settled." 


'53 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

"WELL,  here  we  are,"  said  Harrington,  one 
morning  five  weeks  after  their  departure  from 
Johannesburg.  "  Accordin'  to  the  plans  given 
you  I  should  say  that  we  had  now  reached  the 
location  of  your  grant. " 

"I  think  you  are  right,"  replied  Jack.  "The 
country  corresponds  to  all  descriptions — yes,  there 
is  the  little  stream  of  water  mentioned  in  it,"  he 
added,  pointing  to  a  small  river,  a  mile  or  so  away. 

"Good!"  responded  Harrington.  "We  will 
make  our  camp  there,  near  that  clump  of  eucalyp 
tus  trees.  There  is  a  good  grazin'  ground  for 
the  cattle,  down  there  by  the  river,  and  also 
plenty  of  water,  much  needed  in  this  country. 
There  are  times  when  some  of  us  didn't  think  so, 
but  we  kin  do  without  'most  any  thin'  else,  except- 
in'  water." 

"  Yes ;  it's  good  for  bathin'  purposes,  I'm  tould, " 
chimed  in  Pat,  quizzically. 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  What  are  you  speakin'  from,  hearsay  or  expe 
rience  ? "  asked  Harrington. 

"Faith,  a  little  o'   both,"  was  the  quick  reply. 

"Here's  our  camp  site,"  announced  Harring 
ton,  a  half  hour  later,  after  having  made  a  recon- 
naisance  on  horseback.  "This  little  knoll  is  the 
best  spot  within  five  miles.  There's  a  nice,  dry 
elevation  here,  we'll  get  a  little  shade  from  the 
trees,  and  we're  handy  to  the  stream  for  water. 
Outspan,"  he  yelled  to  the  Kaffirs,  after  Jack  had 
assented  to  the  proposition.  "  Now  for  business," 
he  added,  after  that  operation  had  been  quickly 
completed,  and  the  oxen  had  been  turned  loose  in 
the  luxuriant  meadow  bounding  both  sides  of  the 
stream.  "The  fust  thing  to  do  is  to  build  some 
kind  of  a  shack  for  ourselves,  an'  I  move  we  dele 
gate  that  job  to  the  Kaffirs.  They  kin  build  us 
one  o'  their  native  huts  in  short  order,  an'  then 
they  can  build  another  for  themselves,  if  they 
want  to.  In  the  mean  time  they  can  sleep  under 
the  wagon.  That'll  make  a  good  camp  for  them. 
We'll  want  somethin'  better,  for  I,  for  one,  am 
tired  of  sleepin'  in  a  tent.  My  constitooshun  is  a 
bit  delicate  for  these  cool,  misty  nights. " 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

"  Mine  too,"  added  Pat.  "  If  ye've  got  a  feather 
bed  in  yer  valise,  I  wish  ye'd  turn  it  over  to  me. 
The  novelty  of  the  situation  of  sleepin'  like  a 
civilized  bein'  would  be  appreciated  by  yours 
truly."  And  he  made  a  grandiloquent  bow. 

"You'll  be  lucky  if  you  get  the  soft  side  of  a 
board,  Irish,"  retorted  Harrington  drily. 

The  Kaffirs  made  short  work  of  the  task  as 
signed  them.  Inside  of  two  days  they  had  com 
pleted  one  of  their  conical  huts  built  of  reeds 
bound  with  withes,  and  thatched  with  some  of  the 
coarse,  heavy  grass  which  grew  in  wild  confusion 
on  the  veldt.  The  white  men  supervised  the 
operation,  and  suggested  a  couple  of  apertures  for 
windows,  a  luxury  which  was  entirely  overlooked 
in  the  plans  of  their  dusky  architects.  They 
knew  nothing,  and  cared  less,  about  such  subjects 
as  ventilation,  and  the  door,  considered  by  them 
simply  as  a  necessity  for  egress  and  ingress,  was 
the  only  aperture  they  had  allowed  for.  While 
building  some  rough  bunks  the  white  men  of  the 
party  slept  on  skins  spread  on  the  floor.  The 
Kaffirs  stretched  themselves,  as  heretofore,  under 

the  wagon. 

156 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  Tisn't  a  feather  bed,"  commented  Pat,  as  he 
arose  the  next  morning,  "but  'tis  a  danged  sight 
betther  than  sleepin'  in  a  tent.  'Tis  rain  proof, 
for  one  thing.  Ye' re  not  apt  to  wake  up  in  the 
mornin'  and  find  yerself  swimmin'  about  in  four 
foot  of  wather,  anyway." 

"So  you  don't  like  to  go  in  swimmin'  with  yer 
clothes  on?  "  queried  Harrington,  recalling  an  in 
cident  of  the  trip  from  Johannesburg,  when,  a 
rain  storm  threatening,  Pat  had  been  set  to  work 
to  dig  a  trench  around  the  tent  to  carry  off  the 
water.  Instead  of  throwing  the  earth  against  the 
tent  and  making  a  protecting  embankment,  he  had 
thrown  it  away  from  the  tent,  and  when  the  storm 
broke,  during  the  night,  Pat,  who  slept  on  the  side 
next  the  trench,  awoke  to  find  himself  lying  in  a 
miniature  lake. 

"Faith,  I  don't,"  answered  Pat.  "'Tis  bad 
enough  to  have  to  take  a  bath,  even  when  you've 
got  time  to  take  yer  clothes  off,  but  'tis  the  divil 
an'  all  when  ye  get  a  duckin'  in  the  middle  o'  the 
night,  an'  there's  no  way  to  stop  the  flow  o'  wather 
in  yer  tub.  Never  fear,  'tis  a  long  time  till  I  take 
such  another. " 


MURIEL    STERLING. 

There  was  no  lack  of  food  in  the  camp.  Game 
they  found  in  abundance,  springbok  and  plover  be 
ing  particularly  plentiful,  and  with  this  meat  and 
the  canned  goods  they  had  provided  in  Johannes 
burg  they  were  able  to  live  "like  kings,"  as  Pat 
expressed  it.  He  had  been  delegated  as  cook  for 
the  white  men  of  the  expedition,  and  with  the  as 
sistance  of  one  of  the  blacks,  he  filled  the  position 
admirably. 

"Now  the  next  thing  is  to  get  some  livestock," 
said  Harrington,  after  the  preliminaries  of  the 
camp  had  been  arranged.  "  An'  I  move  that  you 
an'  me  take  a  couple  of  our  blacks,  an'  strike  off 
in  search  of  some  of  the  native  tribes,  an'  buy 
some  of  their  cattle  and  sheep.  The  English 
men  said  that  we'd  have  no  trouble  in  makin' 
a  dicker,  an'  we  might  as  well  begin  opera 
tions  at  once.  Mac  and  Pat,  with  the  assist 
ance  o'  the  other  blacks,  kin  take  care  o'  the 
camp  while  we  are  gone,  an'  also  finish  up  the 
work  to  be  done. " 

That  suggestion  was  adopted  without  delay. 
Inside  of  a  week  they  returned,  driving  a  hundred 

head  of  cattle  and  twice  as  many  sheep,  which 

'58 


A  TALE  OP  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

they  had  purchased  from  one  of  the  native  tribes, 
after  a  little  parleying,  coupled  with  some  sharp 
bargaining,  for  the  natives  knew  a  trick  or  two  of 
the  game,  too. 

The  cattle  and  sheep  were  set  to  graze  along  the 
valley,  with  the  black  boys  as  herders,  and  then 
for  another  week  the  routine  of  the  .iew  life  was 
unbroken.  In  the  mean  time  the  camp  was  beau 
tified  and  a  little  touch  here  and  there  had  made 
the  hut  more  and  more  homelike. 

The  only  extraordinary  incident  of  the  first 
month  occurred  one  afternoon,  about  a  month  after 
their  arrival. 

"  What  th'  divil  is  this  at  all,  at  all  ?  "  queried 
Pat,  who  was  the  first  to  notice  it.  "  Is  it  a  thun 
derstorm  comin',  I  don't  know." 

He  pointed  in  a  westerly  direction,  and,  sure 
enough,  the  phenomenon  bore  a  strange  resem 
blance  to  such  an  atmospheric  possibility.  The 
sky  was  being  obscured  by  a  black  cloud  which 
advanced  steadily  and  with  great  rapidity  until  it 
finally  darkened  the  sun.  The  Kaffirs  retreated 
within  the  wagon,  with  the  exception  of  the  two 
herding  the  cattle,  who  rapidly  drove  their  flocks 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

and  herds  on  to  the  high  land  and  among  the 
rocks. 

"Locusts,  by  gosh!"  ejaculated  Harrington, 
after  taking  a  steady  look  at  the  approaching  cloud. 
"  Let's  get  inside  the  hut.  Those  fellows  '11  eat 
us  out  o'  house  an'  home,  if  we  don't  see  that 
everything  is  securely  covered. " 

In  the  mean  time  the  swarm  had  reached  them 
and  had  settled  down  on  everything  within  sight. 
They  obscured  the  sun  and  covered  the  ground  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  Nothing  could  be 
done  to  check  them  until  they  chose  to  depart, 
which  they  did  within  an  hour,  as  suddenly  as 
they  had  come.  The  transformation  they  had 
worked  in  that  brief  space  of  time  was  remarkable. 

"Well,  may  the  divil  fly  away  with  them,"  was 
Pat's  blessing,  as  he  peeped  out  of  the  hut  and 
looked  first  at  the  surrounding  country  and  then 
at  the  disappearing  swarm.  "Faith,  they've 
licked  the  platther  clean.  I  wonder  why  they 
didn't  ate  us  up,  too. " 

"  Guess  they  would  have,"  retorted  Harrington, 
"  if  you  had  been  outside  so  they  could  have  seen 

what  a  beautiful  green  morsel  you  are. " 
160 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"Faith,  they'd  have  found  me  mighty  tough 
pickin',  I'm  thinkin',  but  I  wouldn't  wondher  at 
all,  at  all,  so  I  wouldn't,  when  I  look  at  the  sight 
o'  that  grass  beyant." 

He  pointed  to  the  valley  which  a  few  hours  be 
fore  had  been  a  field  of  waving  grass,  but  which 
was  now  as  brown  as  the  hills  beyond.  It  seemed 
as  if  they  had  carried  away  every  spear  of  grass 
on  the  place,  while  the  trees  were  like  skeletons, 
bereft  of  every  leaf. 

"They're  one  of  the  plagues  of  the  country," 
explained  Harrington.  "They  don't  come  very 
often,  but  when  they  come,  they  come,  as  the  fel 
ler  said.  I've  seen  'em  get  inter  a  field  an'  take 
every  bloomin'  thing  above  ground.  Well,  never 
mind,"  he  added,  philosophically,  "we  may  have 
rain  in  a  day  or  two,  an'  then  that  grass' 11  sprout 
up  so  quick  that  we'll  never  miss  it.  In  the 
mean  time  we'll  have  to  send  the  niggers  farther 
down  the  country  with  the  animals." 

In  spite  of  the  novelty  of  the  situation,  Jack 
found  himself  sinking  into  frequent  fits  of  home 
sickness.  Away  down  deep  in  his  heart,  overcom 
ing  his  efforts  to  dispossess  it,  there  lived  a  con- 
161 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

stant  remembrance  which  refused  to  be  ejected. 
It  was  the  devotion  he  felt  for  a  woman,  who,  he 
argued,  could  never  be  more  to  him  than  she  was 
then.  During  the  long  trip  from  Johannesburg 
the  excitement,  the  novelty  of  the  ever-changing 
panorama,  and  the  necessity  for  constant  activity, 
tended  to  relieve  his  memory  from  the  thoughts  of 
her.  This  was  also  true  during  the  first  few  days 
following  his  arrival  at  the  camp,  but  now — now 
— as  he  gazed  across  the  broad  expanse  of  rolling 
country,  watched  the  cattle  in  the  valley,  or 
dreamed  of  the  possibilities  of  the  future,  her 
image  blurred  every  view  and  refused  to  depart. 
He  tried  to  argue  with  himself  the  hopelessness 
of  the  situation,  the  impossibility  of  realizing  his 
dreams  concerning  her,  and  the  folly  of  permitting 
her  to  enter  his  thoughts,  and  then  he  would  yield 
to  the  impulse  to  take  a  look  at  the  smiling  photo 
graph  he  carried  in  a  little  case  suspended  by  a 
cord  from  his  neck. 

He  thought  these  dreams  were  secrets  from  his 
companions,  but  Harrington  had  wormed  out  of 
Pat  the  confirmation  of  a  private  theory  the  Yankee 

held,  and  he  was  constantly  suggesting  little  trips 
162 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

with  the  idea  of  cheering  up  "the  boss,"  as  he 
called  him.  These  were  partially  successful, 
but  not  wholly  so.  During  the  excitement  of 
a  hunting  trip  Jack  so  far  forgot  himself  as  to 
become  enthusiastic  with  a  singleness  of  pur 
pose,  but  again  he  would  relapse  into  a  quiet 
melancholy. 

"  There  ought  to  be  some  gold  in  this  country," 
said  Harrington,  one  day.  "  I've  watched  care 
fully  along  the  bank  of  the  stream,  but  I  haven't 
been  able  to  find  a  speck  yet.  I  move  we  make  a 
strike  for  the  hills,  one  o'  these  days.  We  ought 
to  explore  this  territory  thoroughly,  an'  the  sooner 
the  better.  I  don't  want  to  stay  here  if  we've  got 
to  depend  on  the  cattle  an'  sheep  for  a  fortune. 
That's  sure  enough,  but  life's  altogether  too 
short." 

One  day  Jack  saw  Harrington  approach  a  bluff 
which  showed  an  outcropping  of  rock,  and  make 
several  passes  with  his  hammer.  Jack  waited,  a 
little  way  off,  resting  on  his  horse  and  gazing  with 
entire  indifference  at  his  companion,  who  carefully 
examined  something  in  his  hand  and  then  struck 

several  more  blows.     Then  he  struck  more  rapidly 
163 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

and  more  forcibly,  and  when  he  turned  to  call  Jack 
there  was  an  excited  glitter  in  his  eyes. 

"  There's  some  gold  here !  "  he  cried,  his  whole 
manner  changed  by  the  discovery.  "  See !  Look 
at  that  dull  streak  in  the  rock.  That's  the  gen 
uine  article.  How  much  there  is  there  I  don't 
know,  but  it's  gold  all  right,  an'  I  wouldn't  be  sur 
prised  if  we  had  struck  a  payin'  streak.  See  this, 
an'  this,"  he  added,  again  striking  with  his  ham 
mer  and  holding  up  chips  of  quartz  which  he  had 
knocked  from  the  ledge.  "  It'll  be  slow  work 
gettin'  it  out  without  the  proper  machinery,  but 
there's  enough  there  to  make  us  all  rich,  an'  we 
can  get  at  some  of  it  now.  At  last !  At  last !  " 
he  cried,  whacking  away  in  his  excitement,  which 
almost  became  a  mad  delirium. 

Jack  carefully  examined  some  of  the  specimens 
handed  him,  but  he  saw  nothing  in  them  to  excite 
him  to  a  corresponding  pitch  of  enthusiasm.  He 
was  inclined  to  regard  Harrington  as  too  san 
guine. 

"  Are  you  sure  that's  gold  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Sure  ?     Holy  smoke !     I'd  like  to  be  as  sure 

of  gettin'  into  Heaven,"  was  the  excitedly  earnest 
164 


A  TALE   OF  THE  AFRICAN   VELDT. 

reply.  "  Sure  ?  Well,  I've  seen  millionaires 
made  out  o'  stuff  that  didn't  look  half  as  good  as 
that." 

And  he  whacked,  until  the  approach  of  nightfall 
suggested  to  Jack  that  it  would  be  well  for  them 
to  retrace  their  steps  to  the  camp,  which  they  did, 
although  the  fever  burned  so  strongly  within  Har 
rington  that  he  was  loath  to  leave  his  new  find, 
and  only  agreed  to  depart  on  a  promise  from  Jack 
that  they  would  return  there  in  the  morning. 

When  they  reached  the  camp  they  found  visi 
tors  awaiting  them  in  the  persons  of  their  three 
friends  from  Castle  Victoria. 

"We're  on  our  way  to  join  Dr.  Jim,"  they  ex 
plained.  "  We  enlisted  in  his  police  to  break  the 
monotony  occasionally,  as  well  as  to  contribute  to 
the  safety  of  the  place,  and  we  have  received  word 
that  there's  fun  afoot,  so  we  thought  we'd  go  down 
and  see  what  the  nature  of  it  was.  You'd  better 
join  us,"  Alexander  continued.  "  It  will  be  great 
sport  for  you,  and  besides,  you  need  something  to 
cheer  you  up.  They've  been  telling  us  that  you've 
been  dumpish  for  the  past  few  days.  I'll  bet  a 

girl  is  at  the  bottom  of  it  all.      Come,  now,  don't 
165 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

try  to  bluff  us.  You  blush  so  loudly  that  we  can 
almost  hear  you.  Come,  join  us,"  he  continued, 
placing  his  hand  on  Jack's  shoulder.  "  It  will  be 
great  sport." 

Jack  explained  the  nature  of  their  find  during 
the  day's  exploration,  and  showed  the  specimens 
he  had  brought  back  to  the  camp. 

"  Harrington  says  it's  gold,"  he  said,  "  and  if 
that's  the  case  we  ought  to  try  and  get  all  we  can 
without  delay." 

"  It's  gold,  without  question,"  replied  Alexander, 
after  a  careful  scrutiny,  "  but  if  it's  in  that  form  it 
will  be  a  slow  job  getting  it  out.  You'll  need 
machinery  to  work  to  advantage.  Come,  join  us 
on  this  trip,  and  we'll  find  some  one  who  will  be 
interested  in  the  discovery,  and  who  will  assist 
you  to  get  the  necessary  capital  and  equipment. 
In  the  mean  time  Harrington  and  McDonald  and 
Pat  can  investigate  the  find  and  ascertain  if  there's 
really  a  vein  worth  working." 

Harrington  joined  his  persuasions  to  those  of 
the  three  Englishmen  and  assured  Jack  that  he 
would  stay  and  make  a  careful  examination  of  the 

find,  and  be  ready  to  make  a  definite  report  on 
166 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"the  boss's"  return,  which  Alexander  said  would 
be  within  a  month,  at  any  rate. 

Jack  found  himself  wavering  between  two  minds, 
but  he  finally  yielded  to  the  arguments  and  impor 
tunities  of  the  visitors,  and  agreed  to  go  with 
them.  Early  the  next  morning  they  saddled  their 
horses.  Pat  did  likewise. 

"  Where  are  you  going,  Pat  ? "  Jack  asked,  in 
surprise. 

"  Wherever  you  go,  sur,"  was  the  calm  response. 

"  But  you're  to  stay  here." 

"Faith,  I'm  not,  sur — av  ye  plaze,  sur.  I'm 
no  good  here,  an'  I  may  be  of  some  sarvice  to 
yersel'.  Av  ye  plaze,  sur,  I'd  like  to  go  with 
you." 

Jack  laughed  at  the  poor  fellow's  solicitation 
and  earnestness,  and,  touched  by  the  genuineness 
of  it,  and  persuaded  by  the  desires  of  his  compan 
ions,  he  finally  acquiesced. 

"Well,  come  on,  then.  We  won't  be  gone 
long,"  he  said. 

Then  they  galloped  off,  with  their  faces  set  to 
ward  the  south.  Where  they  were  going  they  did 
not  know,  except  that  it  was  with  Dr.  Jim.  The 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

rumor  had  it  that  some  of  the  blacks  had  risen 
along  the  line  of  the  railroad  and  were  threaten 
ing  trouble.  It  was  the  desire  of  the  protectorate 
interest  to  subdue  this  annoyance ;  hence  the  call 
on  the  police,  regulars  and  volunteers.  The  little 
cavalcade  looked  upon  it  as  a  light  adventure, 
promising  possible  temporary  excitement,  but  they 
little  dreamed  that  they  were  to  become  actors  in  a 
drama  which  would  interest  the  whole  civilized 
world  and  make  their  names  household  words. 


168 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

IT  was  fast  approaching  night,  when,  a  week 
later,  Jack  and  his  companions  rode  into  the  Pit- 
sani  camp  of  Dr.  Jameson.  The  fires  were  lighted 
and  preparations  for  the  evening  meal  in  progress. 
A  motley  aggregation  gave  them  a  hearty  wel 
come,  after  they  had  introduced  themselves  and 
explained  the  object  of  their  visit.  Titled  young 
sters  from  England,  matured  army  officers  with 
records  of  hard  service  in  India  and  Africa,  and 
young  Afrikanders  rubbed  shoulders  on  terms  of 
comparative  equality.  A  democratic  feeling  pre 
vailed,  such  as  in  the  old  country  would  have  been 
absolutely  impossible.  The  squadron  was  well 
disciplined,  but  it  was  the  discipline  of  privates 
who  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  their  leaders, 
and  of  leaders  who  felt  the  need  of  personal  reli 
ance  upon  the  good-will  and  courage  of  their 
followers,  rather  than  the  stiff  discipline  of  the 

regular  service.     To  many  of  those  in  the  camp 
169 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

the  discipline  of  the  regular  service  would  have 
been  absolutely  distasteful. 

"You're  Justin  the  nick  of  time,"  confidentially 
murmured  one  young  fellow  who  was  known  to 
Alexander,  as  he  led  them  to  a  place  for  supper. 
"  If  you  had  waited  another  day  you'd  have  been 
too  late." 

"How's  that?" 

"Haven't  you  heard?" 

"Not  a  word." 

"We  start  to-morrow  morning  for  Johannes 
burg." 

"For  Johannesburg?  "  all  three  echoed  in  sur 
prise. 

Their  conductor  nodded  his  head  with  the  air  of 
one  who  could  a  tale  unfold. 

"  Haven't  you  heard  anything  at  all  ?  "  he  asked, 
eyeing  them  curiously. 

"  Not  a  whisper.  Come,  let  us  in.  What  is  it 
you're  driving  at?  " 

"Well,  we're  supposed  to  be  starting  out  to 
watch  the  niggers  who  are  suspected  of  planning 
a  raid  against  the  railroad,  you  know."  His  audi 
tors  nodded.  "  But  we're  not  doing  anything  of 
170 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

the  sort,"  he  continued.  "The  cat  was  let  out  of 
the  bag,  this  afternoon.  We're  going  to  Johannes 
burg  to  help  the  Outlanders,  who  are  going  to 
rise  up  against  the  Boers.  They've  been  getting 
ready  for  weeks  and  weeks  and  they  have  sent 
word  that  they  would  like  us  to  go  over  and  take 
a  hand  in  behalf  of  the  women  and  children. 
The  letter  was  read  to  us  to-day,  and  most  of  us 
volunteered  to  go.  Some  of  the  boys  had  cold 
feet  when  the  matter  was  broached,  because  we 
did  not  have  official  authorization,  but  most  of  us 
said  we'd  go." 

"  And  after  you  get  there,  what  ?  " 

"Oh,  that's  a  matter  that  will  settle  itself. 
We've  got  to  help  out  our  own  countrymen. 
They're  fighting  for  their  rights.  After  we  reach 
there  we'll  determine  what  is  next  to  be  done. 
The  main  thing  is  to  get  there." 

"  But  how  do  you  purpose  doing  that  ?  Riding 
across  country  ?  "  asked  Alexander. 

The  other  nodded. 

"But,  my  dear  fellow,  what  are  the  Boers 
going  to  be  doing  in  the  mean  time?  Do  you 

think  for  a   moment  that  they  are  going  to  let 
171 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

you  into  Johannesburg  without  attempting  to 
stop  you? " 

"  Oh,  that's  all  been  arranged !  "  was  the  confi 
dent  reply.  "  In  the  first  place,  we  do  not  intend 
that  they  shall  be  informed,  in  advance,  of  our  in 
tentions.  We  ought  to  be  into  Johannesburg,  or 
very  near  it,  before  the  Boers  awake  to  the  fact  of 
our  visit,  and  then  if  they  attempt  to  stop  us  we'll 
have  to  fight  our  way  through." 

"  And  suppose  you  have  more  of  a  fight  than 
you  bargain  for?  " 

"  Never  fear.  There's  an  army  corps  of  armed 
and  determined  men  in  Johannesburg  who  will  be 
ready  to  come  out  and  help  us — that  is,  if  we  need 
any  help." 

"  And  when  do  you  expect  to  reach  there  ?  " 

"  Let's  see.  To-morrow  is  the  29th.  Why,  we 
ought  to  be  in  Johannesburg  on  New  Year's  Day, 
if  all  goes  well.  It  isn't  more  than  a  hundred 
and  fifty  or  sixty  miles,  and  we  ought  to  make  it 
in  three  days,  with  any  kind  of  speed.  We're 
going  in  light  marching  order,  too.  Those  were 
the  directions.  Instead  of  a  lot  of  extra  clothing 

we're  going  to  carry  a  lot  of  extra  ammunition, 

172 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

taking  only  such  wearing  apparel  as  we  absolutely 
need.  We'll  get  all  we  want  in  the  way  of  cloth 
ing  after  we  have  reached  Johannesburg.  Come, 
you're  with  us,  of  course.  Think  of  an  English 
man  refusing  a  request  to  aid  women  and 
children  simply  because  a  little  red  tape  stands 
in  the  way !  If  you  could  have  heard  that  letter 
read,  this  afternoon,  your  blood  would  have  boiled. 
I  know  you  fellows  are  to  be  counted  on,"  he 
added,  leading  them  to  a  seat,  as  if  to  say  that  no 
further  argument  was  needed  to  insure  the  enlist 
ment  of  four  additional  recruits. 

The  visitors  accepted  this  settlement  of  the 
matter  without  offering  any  argument.  It  was 
not  the  course  they  had  in  mind  when  they  started 
from  their  ranches,  but  they  were  not  at  all  indis 
posed  to  join  in  the  movement.  The  company  in 
which  they  found  themselves  was  very  pleasant, 
doubly  so  from  the  fact  that  they  had  spent  several 
weeks  in  comparative  solitude,  and  the  attraction 
of  song  and  story  in  the  camp  probably  assisted 
them  in  coming  to  a  conclusion.  After  supper 
the  troopers  gathered  into  little  groups  and  there 
was  a  general  spinning  of  yarns.  The  one  pre- 
173 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

dominant  chord  in  their  conversation  was  the 
universal  confidence  they  felt  in  Dr.  Jameson. 
They  did  not  discount  the  difficulties  which 
they  knew  were  possible,  but  they  felt  sure  that 
wherever  he  led  success  would  eventually  meet 
them. 

"  I  remember  him  when  he  was  a  sawbones  at 
Kimberley,"  said  one  strapping  fellow,  who  had 
seen  service  in  several  climates,  and  at  the  sound 
of  whose  voice  an  appreciative  group  gathered 
about  him.  "That  was  several  years  ago,  long 
before  he  had  entered  the  colonial  service  or  had 
any  such  idea.  He  and  Rhodes  kept  a  joint 
bachelors'  hall,  and  both  were  making  money, 
hand  over  fist.  Rhodes  knew  the  stuff  the  little 
Scotchman  was  made  of,  and  after  old  Lobengula 
had  refused  to  let  Rhodes  into  Matabeleland, 
Jameson  asked  Rhodes  to  let  him  try  it." 

The  narrator  stopped  to  puff  a  red  glow  into 
the  bowl  of  his  pipe  and  then  continued:  "The 
old  king  was  a  crafty  chap.  He  had  a  big 
army  at  his  back,  and  he  was  as  independent 
as  a  hog  on  ice.  One  or  two  of  those  who  tried 

to  get  concessions  from  him  were  glad  enough 
174 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

when  he  conceded  them  the  privilege  of  getting 
away  with  whole  skins.  But  that  didn't  scare 
Jameson.  He  got  three  or  four  comrades  and 
started  for  old  Lo's  headquarters.  Just  what  he 
would  do  when  he  got  there,  he  didn't  know.  He 
would  make  his  plans  when  he  got  on  the  ground. 
Get  there  he  did,  but  it  was  a  devil  of  a  task. 
They  were  all  taken  sick  with  fever,  and  at  one 
time  it  looked  as  if  they  would  die  in  the  wilder 
ness,  but  they  finally  pulled  through.  Jameson's 
luck  was  with  him  all  the  way,  and  it  stayed  with 
him  when  he  reached  Lo's  palace.  The  old  king 
was  very  sick.  He  was  suffering  from  a  fever, 
and  the  medicine  men  couldn't  help  him  any,  al 
though  they  pow- wowed  for  days  and  days.  Now, 
Dr.  Jim  had  made  a  specialty  of  fevers,  and  when 
he  heard  of  the  king's  illness,  he  sent  in  word  that 
he  was  a  doctor  and  could  help  him.  I  tell  you, 
it  was  a  mighty  ticklish  proposition  for  him.  If 
he  failed  to  cure  him,  the  medicine  men  would 
have  taken  his  head  off  quicker  than  that,"  snap 
ping  his  fingers  to  emphasize  the  act.  "  But  he 
didn't  fail.  The  old  king  got  well,  and  he  was  so 
grateful  that  he  would  have  given  Jameson  any- 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

thing  he  asked.  Jameson  asked  permission  to 
explore  the  country,  and  he  got  it,  as  well  as  sev 
eral  fine  presents,  and  out  of  that  incident  came 
the  occupation  of  the  whole  country." 

"  Were  you  with  him  ?  asked  a  listener. 

"No,  I  wasn't  with  him,"  responded  the  other, 
"  but  I  was  at  Kimberley  when  he  returned,  and  I 
heard  the  whole  story  at  that  time.  I  know  it  to 
be  true.  Rhodes  was  so  tickled  that  he  made 
Jameson  his  right-hand  man,  and  ever  since  that 
time  Jameson  has  been  with  Rhodes.  He  gave 
up  his  practice  and  took  charge  of  the  country  as 
administrator  under  the  Chartered  Company. " 

"  Oh,  he's  got  nerve ! "  chimed  in  another 
trooper.  "  I  was  with  him,  after  that,  when  he 
licked  about  seven  hundred  Portuguese  and  niggers 
with  a  little  troop  of  less  than  fifty  men.  The 
Portuguese,  you  know,  have  been  very  jealous  of 
our  achievements  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and 
have  been  trying  to  enlarge  the  strip  of  territory 
they  hold  on  the  west  coast.  There  has  always 
been  a  dispute  as  to  the  exact  border  lines  of  the 
two  territories,  and  a  few  years  ago  they  under 
took  to  claim  possession  of  a  bit  of  Rhodesia.  It 
176 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

looked  as  if  they  were  going  to  succeed,  too,  be 
cause  they  had  a  force  of  nearly  two  hundred  Por 
tuguese  soldiers,  backed  up  by  five  hundred  friend 
ly  natives.  Jameson  heard  of  their  move  and 
gathered  together  a  few  of  us  and  started  to  head 
them  off.  We  made  a  forced  march  and  occupied 
a  hill  covering  the  route  of  the  Portuguese  column. 
We  had  a  couple  of  Maxim  guns  which  we  placed 
in  position,  and  then  we  sat  down  and  waited  for 
the  Portuguese  to  come  up.  You  ought  to  have 
seen  them  stare  when  they  sighted  that  kopje! 
They  suspected  what  the  difficulty  was,  and  their 
commander  came  forward  to  palaver.  The  com 
mander  wanted  to  know  if  Dr.  Jim  was  aware  that 
he  was  on  Portuguese  territory.  Dr.  Jim  very 
politely  replied  that  he  did  not  so  understand  it, 
but  on  the  contrary  was  quite  sure  that  that  was 
English  territory.  The  Portuguese  commander, 
with  equal  politeness,  insisted  that  Dr.  Jim  was 
mistaken,  and  added  that  he  would  be  compelled 
to  ask  him  to  retreat  into  his  own  country.  Dr. 
Jim  said  that  retreat  was  out  of  the  question, 
whereat  the  Portuguese  man  got  mad  and  told  him 

that  if  he  didn't  retreat  he  would  be  obliged  to 

177 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

compel  him  to  do  so,  that  is,  if  there  was  anything 
left  of  him  after  his  Portuguese  and  niggers  had 
finished  with  him.  The  Portuguese  officer  looked 
back  into  the  valley  where  his  force  had  halted, 
as  if  to  call  Dr.  Jim's  attention  to  the  fact  that 
they  outnumbered  us  more  than  ten  to  one,  and 
added  that  resistance  against  such  odds  would  be 
unavailing  and  that  if  there  was  a  fight  we  would 
probably  be  wiped  off  the  earth.  They  talked 
and  talked,  and  finally  the  discussion  became 
pretty  hot.  Dr.  Jim  and  his  backers  insisted 
that  we  were  going  to  stay  right  there,  and  the 
Portuguese  officer  went  off  swearing  that  he  would 
drive  us  out  even  if  he  had  to  kill  every  one  of 
us.  He  started  in  to  do  so,  but  in  about  ten 
minutes  he  had  changed  his  mind.  As  soon  as 
his  party  made  a  rush  at  the  hill,  firing  as  fast  as 
they  could,  we  opened  up  on  them  with  our 
rapid-fire  guns,  and  mowed  them  down  so  fast  that 
they  were  glad  to  scoot  away  and  leave  us  in 
possession  of  the  place.  We  killed  and  wounded 
about  fifty  of  their  number,  and  after  it  was  all 
over  Dr.  Jim  went  down  and  helped  to  dress  the 

wounds  of  some  of  those  who  a  few  minutes  be- 
178 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

fore  he  had  fired  upon  as  enemies.  We  didn't 
lose  a  man." 

The  recital  of  these  reminiscences  seemed  to 
invite  others. 

"  That  wasn't  as  big  a  bluff  as  the  one  he  worked 
on  the  Boers  about  five  years  ago,"  said  a  stocky 
little  fellow  who  was  puffing  away  at  a  short 
black  pipe,  as  he  lay  at  full  length  on  the  ground, 
resting  his  head  on  his  elbow.  "  We  had  received 
word  of  a  great  Boer  trek  to  the  north.  They  had 
laid  claim  to  an  immense  tract  of  country  in  Mata- 
beleland,  under  some  old  treaty  with  the  natives, 
and  were  on  their  way  to  take  possession  when  Dr. 
Jim  heard  of  it  and  went  out  to  meet  them.  He 
learned  where  they  intended  to  cross  the  Limpopo 
and  laid  in  wait  for  them  at  the  other  side.  He 
had  only  a  handful  of  men,  and  a  few  guns,  but 
he  was  determined  to  stop  them,  somehow.  Along 
they  came,  six  or  seven  thousand  of  them,  and 
stopped  on  the  near  side  of  the  river.  They  didn't 
like  the  looks  of  things  on  the  opposite  side,  for 
Dr.  Jim  had  placed  his  men  in  a  strong  position 
and  his  guns  were  mounted  so  as  to  say  'How  d'e 

do '  with  emphasis.    Some  of  them  came  across  the 
179 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

river  to  have  a  talk,  and  explained  that  their  mis 
sion  was  a  peaceful  one.  Dr.  Jim  wouldn't  have 
it,  however.  He  said  if  they  came  at  all  it  would 
be  by  permission  of  the  Chartered  Company,  and 
that  for  the  present  such  permission  would  not  be 
granted.  The  Boers  kicked,  of  course,  and  threat 
ened  to  cross,  with  or  without  permission,  but  they 
finally  turned  tail  and  went  back  without  attempt 
ing  to  call  his  bluff." 

"Queer  that  both  he  and  Rhodes  should  be 
bachelors,  isn't  it?"  mused  one  who  had  so  far 
contributed  nothing. 

"  Why  so  ? "  asked  another,  bristling  as  if  re 
senting  the  remark.  "  If  they  had  wives  and  chil 
dren  tagging  after  them  they  wouldn't  be  where 
they  are  to-day." 

"That  may  be;  but  even  to-day  they  might 
choose  the  best  in  the  land  and  be  sure  of  getting 
'  yes  '  for  an  answer." 

"They  know  when  they're  well  off,"  grunted 
the  other. 

"  Rhodes  came  precious  near  it  once,"  continued 
the  first  speaker.  "  Didn't  you  ever  hear  about 

it?  "  he  asked,  as  the  others  pricked  up  their  ears. 
180 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  Well,  it  was  years  ago,  when  he  was  a  youngster 
just  beginning  to  make  some  money,  and  likewise 
a  name  for  himself.  He  was  paying  attentions  to 
a  girl  who  also  had  another  admirer.  She  liked 
the  other  fellow  better  than  she  did  Rhodes,  but 
her  parents  saw  that  Rhodes  was  going  to  make  a 
name  for  himself  and  they  wanted  her  to  marry 
him.  She  finally  decided  to  do  as  they  wanted 
her  to  do,  although  she  did  not  let  Rhodes  know 
the  whole  story.  One  night  the  other  fellow 
called,  and  she  told  him  just  how  the  land  lay. 
The  girl  cried  and  the  fellow  felt  pretty  badly 
about  it,  but  he  was  game  and  told  the  girl  that 
he  would  not  stand  in  her  way.  Then  he  took 
her  in  his  arms  and  kissed  her. 

"Just  then  who  should  come  along  but  Rhodes. 
As  he  was  going  up  the  steps  he  saw  the  tableau 
through  the  window.  He  sized  up  the  situation 
at  a  glance.  No  one  ever  found  out  just  how  he 
took  it.  Some  said  he  realized  the  situation  as  it 
actually  existed  and  made  up  his  mind  that  he 
would  not  hinder  the  girl  from  getting  the  fellow 
she  wanted.  Others  said  he  felt  that  the  other 

fellow  had  the  inside  track  and  that  there  was  no 
181 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

use  for  him  to  try.  At  any  rate,  with  his  hand 
almost  on  the  doorknob  he  turned  and  walked 
away.  That's  the  reason  he  never  married.  Kind 
of  a  sad  romance,  wasn't  it?  " 

"  Come,  you  fellows,"  bawled  a  lusty  trooper 
walking  through  the  camp,  "  are  you  going  to  talk 
all  night.  Lights  out!  D'ye  hear?  There's 
work  to  be  done  to-morrow,  and  talking  to-night 
won't  do  it.  See  that  your  horses  are  all  right 
and  get  to  bed.  You'll  need  all  the  sleep  you  can 
get  before  you  reach  Johannesburg.  Come,  now, 
scat ! " 

In  a  few  minutes  the  camp  was  silent,  save  for 
an  occasional  snore.  To  most  of  them  sleep  came 
as  readily  as  if  the  morrow  promised  nothing  more 
exciting  than  a  short  ride  across  country,  but  to 
Jack  the  story  of  the  last  sleeper  brought  a  fresh 
twinge  of  the  heart.  Could  it  be  that  Muriel  was 
really  in  love  with  some  other  fellow  ?  he  asked 
himself.  The  doubt  played  havoc  with  him  for  a 
few  minutes,  but  in  spite  of  it  he  pulled  a  little 
locket  from  around  his  neck  and  pressed  his  lips 
to  it. 


182 


CHAPTER   XV. 

IT  had  been  an  anxious  day  for  Dr.  Jameson 
and  the  other  leaders  of  the  proposed  expedition. 
The  letter  from  the  people  of  Johannesburg  had 
stirred  their  blood,  and  their  hearts  beat  in  lively 
sympathy  with  the  appeal.  Was  the  time  ripe, 
however?  That  was  the  question.  This  was  a 
delicate  matter.  To  communicate  directly  by  tele 
graph  was  impossible — that  is,  to  communicate 
without  running  the  risk  of  having  their  messages 
intercepted  by  the  Boers.  They  were  compelled 
to  rely,  therefore,  for  information  as  to  events  in 
Johannesburg,  on  the  messages  which  came  from 
Cecil  Rhodes  at  Cape  Town. 

"Hang  it  all,"  exclaimed  one  impatient  subor 
dinate.  "What's  the  use  of  waiting  here  from 
day  to  day.  We  have  already  delayed  longer 
than  is  safe.  We  can't  hope  to  keep  up  the  idea 
that  we  are  simply  watching  the  railroad  line. 

The  Boers  are  not  fools,  and  the  first  thing  we 
183 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

know  they  will  have  stepped  into  Johannesburg 
and  all  our  plans  will  go  up  in  smoke." 

The  little  Scotch  leader  smiled  at  the  other's 
irritation. 

"  What  would  you  do  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Do  ?  Ride  over  there  and  get  into  the  place 
before  it  is  too  late." 

"And  then?" 

"And  then?  Why,  then  take  the  bull  by  the 
horns." 

"  Yes,  but  the  bull  may  toss  you.  First  make 
sure  that  you  are  right,"  was  the  canny  rejoinder. 

"But  aren't  we  in  the  right?  Could  there  be 
anything  more  convincing  than  the  letter  you  have 
received  ?  " 

"  Very  true,  but  how  do  we  know  that  the  Jo 
hannesburg  people  are  ready  to  receive  us.  There 
is  a  prospect  of  hot  work,  and  their  assistance  is 
absolutely  essential.  We  had  better  wait  until  we 
hear  from  Rhodes.  He  will  wire  us  the  moment 
the  proper  time  has  arrived. " 

"  Huh  ! "  grunted  another.  "  How  do  we  know 
that  he  is  able  to  hear  from  Johannesburg  any 

more  than  we  are.     It  is  as  dangerous  to  wire  in 
184 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

one  direction  as  in  another,  and  now  that  the  ob 
ject  of  the  expedition  has  been  declared  to  the 
men  it  is  dangerous  for  us  to  remain  here.  Some 
of  them  have  refused  to  go,  and  delay  simply 
means  that  the  news  will  soon  reach  Pretoria. 
Then  the  jig  is  up  for  the  people  in  Johannesburg, 
as  well  as  for  our  own  plans." 

"  But  you  haven't  considered  the  entire  situation. 
There  are  well-founded  rumors  of  disagreements 
among  the  people  of  Johannesburg  as  to  the  proper 
method  to  pursue.  It  would  be  the  height  of  folly 
to  enter  a  divided  house." 

"  Disagreements !  Faugh !  The  trouble  is  that 
they  have  no  one  competent  to  act  as  a  leader. 
Take  us  in  there,  then  assume  command  of  the 
city  yourself,  and  the  fight  is  won.  We  must  go 
either  one  way  or  the  other.  We  can't  stay  here. 
The  Boers  are  not  so  dense  as  to  believe  that  we 
are  here  for  the  purpose  of  controlling  niggers 
who  are  not  in  any  danger  of  rising.  And  if  we 
don't  go  pretty  soon  I'm  afraid  that  some  of  the 
boys  will  go  without  us.  They  are  hot  at  the  re 
ports  of  the  treatment  of  our  friends  in  Johannes 
burg." 

185 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

Jameson  explained  the  necessity  for  delay,  but 
some  of  the  younger  men  still  insisted  that  an  im 
mediate  start  ought  to  be  made,  and  finally,  after 
waiting  until  evening  without  receiving  any  fur 
ther  message  from  Rhodes,  he  decided  that  the 
start  should  be  made  the  next  day. 

"  Well,  the  die  is  cast,"  he  said  grimly,  as  the 
column  was  accordingly  set  in  motion.  "Word 
has  been  sent  to  the  boys  at  Maf eking  to  meet  us 
at  Malmani  to-morrow  morning.  It  will  be  a  hard 
ride,  but  we  may  get  through  in  safety.  At  any 
rate,  we'll  make  the  effort." 

Jack  experienced  a  sense  of  tumultuous  exhila 
ration,  as  he  gazed  on  the  galloping  contingent  of 
which  he  found  himself  so  unexpectedly  a  part. 
They  traversed  the  flat  open  country  with  rapidity, 
although  their  progress  was  somewhat  impeded  by 
the  presence  of  a  half  score  of  Maxim  guns  and 
seven-pounders,  not  to  speak  of  several  wagons. 
All  day  long  they  proceeded,  and  nightfall  offered 
no  respite. 

"  We  ought  to  be  just  about  entering  the  Trans 
vaal,"  remarked  one  of  the  officers,  late  in  the 

evening. 

186 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  Yes,  we  have  crossed  the  Rubicon,"  answered 
Jameson  with  a  confident  smile.  "Come  what 
may,  we  must  now  go  ahead.  It  is  too  late  to 
turn  back.  We  might  as  well  be  hung  for  an  old 
sheep  as  for  a  lamb,"  he  added  philosophically, 
"  and  so  long  as  we  have  put  one  foot  over  the  line 
we  might  as  well  drag  the  other  one  after,  and 
make  our  steps  as  rapid  as  possible." 

"  Whew !  Egad !  this  is  work,"  Alexander  ex 
ploded,  as  he  slipped  off  his  tired  horse  at  day 
break,  when  the  troop  had  reached  the  little  village 
of  Malmani,  for  the  purpose  of  preparing  breakfast 
and  waiting  for  the  force  due  to  arrive  from  Mafe- 
king. 

Jack,  walking  about  to  limber  up  his  stiff  legs, 
acquiesced  with  a  smile.  "  Yes,  and  to  think  that 
we've  got  two  days  more  of  it,"  he  good-naturedly 
grumbled. 

"Where  are  those  fellows  from  Mafeking?" 
asked  another.  "Are  they  going  to  delay  the 
game?" 

"  Oh,  don't  be  in  such  a  confounded  hurry, " 
grunted  another,  stealing  a  few  winks  of  sleep 

as  he   threw  himself   on   the   ground.     "Enjoy 
187 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

yourself  while  you  can.  You'll  be  a  long  time 
dead." 

"Ho  !  here  they  come  now,  "announced  a  third, 
pointing  to  a  black  mass  just  discernible  across  the 
veldt.  At  first  it  looked  like  a  big  black  ship 
bobbing  up  and  down  in  a  choppy  sea,  but  after  a 
time  the  irregular  motion  of  the  whole  body  began 
to  distribute  itself  into  individual  gallopers,  and 
soon  the  recruits  were  bearing  down  on  the  Pitsani 
delegation.  The  new  arrivals  were  greeted  with 
cheers,  and  they  responded  to  the  salute  in  kind. 

Everybody  was  in  high  feather  while  prepara 
tions  for  breakfast  were  in  progress. 

"  Well,  now  we're  off  in  earnest,"  said  Jameson 
to  some  of  those  who  had  urged  him  to  start  the 
day  before.  "  The  wires  have  been  cut  before  us 
and  behind.  The  Boers  will  have  some  difficulty 
in  telegraphing  news  of  our  visit,  and  we  don't 
want  to  hear  from  Cape  Town  for  several  days  to 
come.  Let  us  not  waste  time  now.  The  quicker 
we  go  the  less  danger  there  will  be  of  them  head 
ing  us  off.  By  making  reasonable  haste  we  ought 
to  reach  Johannesburg  on  New  Year's  Day." 

"  Let  us  hope  it  will  be  a  happy  New  Year  for 
188 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

us  all,"  remarked  one  of  the  officers,  as  he  mounted 
his  horse  for  another  advance. 

"  Och !  I  feel  as  if  me  legs  were  sphlit  up  to 
the  back  o'  me  neck,"  groaned  Pat,  as  he  dis 
mounted  from  his  horse  at  sunset.  "An*  no 
shleep  to-night,  they  tell  me.  Faith,  I'll  fall 
ashleep  in  me  saddle.  I'm  so  af eared  I'll  shnore 
that  I  dare  not  wink  for  fear  I'll  not  be  able  to 
lift  me  blinkers  agin." 

They  made  occasional  halts  for  rest  and  food, 
but  there  was  practically  no  sleep  for  any  of  them. 
They  had  now  been  two  nights  on  the  road,  and  it 
was  clear  that  some  sleep  was  necessary,  no  mat 
ter  how  urgent  their  arrival  at  Johannesburg.  The 
announcement  was  therefore  made  that  that  night 
six  hours'  sleep  would  be  allowed. 

"  Six  hours  ?  "  was  Pat's  good-natured  grumble. 
"  Faith,  that'll  be  only  an  aggervation.  I  feel  as 
if  I  could  sleep  until  doomsday." 

"  By  Gad,  but  you  may  do  that,  too,"  retorted 
his  neighbor,  as  a  rifle  shot  rang  out  on  the  night 
air,  followed  by  several  others.  The  location  of 
the  shooters  could  be  determined  only  by  the 

flashes  here  and  there  behind  bowlders  on  an  ad- 
189 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

jacent  kopje.  "  This  is  a  nightmare  that  promises 
to  disturb  your  dreams  anyway,"  he  continued,  as 
they  advanced  in  the  direction  of  the  flashes  and 
chased  out  the  little  contingent  of  Boers. 

"  Well,  the  first  gun  of  the  campaign  has  been 
fired,"  remarked  Jameson,  at  daybreak.  "  I  am 
glad  we  are  safely  through  that  pass,  but  I  don't 
understand  how  they  discovered  our  presence  so 
quickly.  Something  has  gone  wrong.  Well, 
there's  no  help  for  it  now.  We  must  fight  our 
way  through,  sleep  or  no  sleep." 

But  the  explanation  was  simple  enough.  It 
was  another  illustration  of  the  fact  that — 

"  The  best-laid  plans  o'  mice  and  man 
Gang  aft  agley." 

Jameson  supposed  that  the  telegraph  wire  run- 
ing  to  Pretoria  had  been  cut,  but  it  wasn't.  It 
ought  to  have  been,  and  the  trooper  detailed  to 
attend  to  this  important  matter  believed  that  he 
had  successfully  impeded  communication  in  that 
direction.  He  had  been  instructed  to  go  to  a 
point  a  few  miles  beyond  the  town,  chop  out  sev 
eral  feet  of  wire,  and  bury  it  in  an  adjacent  field. 
190 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

The  plan  was  a  shrewd  one.  It  would  take  the 
Boers  some  time  to  discover  the  break,  and  more 
time  to  repair  it  if  the  missing  section  of  wire 
could  not  be  found.  All  this  had  been  carefully 
drilled  into  the  trooper's  mind  and  had  left  an  in 
delible  impression  there,  but  instead  of  disturbing 
the  telegraph  wire  he  carefully  hacked  out  a  sec 
tion  of  a  farmer's  wire  fence,  buried  it  according 
to  directions,  and  then  reported  that  he  had  com 
pleted  the  service  assigned  him. 

Jameson  had  hardly  crossed  the  border  before 
that  interesting  fact  was  flashed  to  Pretoria.  It 
brought  consternation  for  the  moment,  but  instant 
preparations  were  made  to  head  him  off.  This 
explains  how  a  party  of  skirmishers  interrupted 
the  expected  night's  sleep  of  his  men  before  he 
was  hardly  more  than  half  way  on  his  journey. 
His  calculations  had  missed  by  at  least  twenty- 
four  hours.  The  possibility  of  an  intercepting 
force  had  been  considered  but  it  was  expected  that 
before  such  a  force  could  be  gathered  the  raiders 
would  be  close  to  Johannesburg,  if  not  actually 
within  the  limits  of  that  city.  And  yet,  here  they 

were,  fifty  miles  from  that  place,  facing  bullets. 
191 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

On  they  pushed  during  the  night,  and  on  through 
the  darkness  pushed  the  various  columns  of  Boers, 
hastily  commandeered  for  the  occasion  and  ordered 
to  make  Krugersdorp  their  rendezvous.  It  was 
calculated  that  by  making  that  little  place  the 
point  of  the  angle  they  would  have  time  to  gather 
and  intercept  Jameson. 

"  I  wonder  if  we'll  see  the  old  year  out  ?"  asked 
Alexander,  as  they  munched  their  breakfast  at 
daybreak  on  the  last  day  of  the  year.  "  There  are 
indications  of  a  storm  ahead.  I  hear  that  Dr. 
Jim  is  looking  rather  savage  this  morning.  The 
Boers  have  gained  a  lap  or  two,  and  it  looks  as  if 
there  would  be  a  fight." 

"  Oh,  never  mind,"  confidently  assured  another. 
"  A  scout  has  just  come  in  from  Johannesburg  and 
he  says  that  the  men  there  are  under  arms  and  are 
coming  to  meet  us.  Oh,  we'll  make  it  warm 
for  these  Dutchmen  if  they  attempt  to  interfere 
any  more.  What's  that?  Mount?  All  right," 
he  cheerily  responded,  as  he  vaulted  into  the  sad 
dle,  the  others  following  his  example. 

"There's   more  trouble  ahead,"  reported  Pat, 
192 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

who  had  ridden  down  the  line  to  ascertain  the 
meaning  of  another  halt,  late  in  the  forenoon. 
"  There's  a  lot  o'  Dutchmen  in  the  hills  beyant 
the  town  there,  an'  they're  sayin'  they  won't  let 
us  pass. " 

"Then  it  means  fight,"  responded  Jack,  "for 
there'll  be  no  turn  about  for  this  crowd.  Hark! 
By  heavens !  they  are  at  it  already.  See,  our  gun 
ners  are  shelling  the  hills." 

He  pointed  to  a  flash  in  the  valley  ahead  of 
them  and  watched  the  shell  explode  above  a  small 
hill  which  flanked  the  town.  For  several  minutes 
a  lively  fire  was  kept  up,  but  there  was  no  sign  of 
a  reply. 

"Mount!"  yelled  Jack.  "There's  the  order. 
Now  there's  work  for  us." 

They  rode  toward  the  hill  in  question,  but  no 
sign  of  life  manifested  itself  in  opposition  to  their 
progress. 

"  This  is  a  regular  picnic,"  laughed  Jenkins. 

"Don't  be  too  sure  of  that,"  counselled  the 
cautious  Sanderson.  "You  don't  know  where 
those  chaps  may  be  hiding." 

Hardly  had  the  words  left  his  lips  before  a  sheet 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

of  flame  burst  from  behind  the  rocks  on  the  crown 
of  the  hill.  For  a  moment  the  shock  halted  the 
troopers,  but  the  next  moment  the  order  to  charge 
rallied  them,  and  up  the  hill  they  went,  yelling 
like  mad  men  and  firing  as  fast  as  they  could  at 
the  point  from  which  the  assault  seemed  to  come. 
But  another  fusillade  and  still  another  greeted 
them.  Around  them  their  comrades  were  falling, 
and  the  frightened  riderless  horses  added  to  the 
panic  of  the  occasion.  Ahead  of  them  was  a  hill, 
and  on  the  crown  of  the  hill  was  a  natural  outcrop 
of  rocks.  From  behind  these  rocks  came  the 
flashes,  and  it  was  apparent  that  there  the  Boers 
held  a  strong  position.  How  many  of  them  there 
were  no  one  could  tell,  and  when  the  question  of 
the  value  of  the  position,  even  if  taken,  presented 
itself,  the  answer  was  so  apparent  that  a  retreat 
was  ordered. 

"  Ye  gods,  this  is  terrible,"  cried  Alexander,  as 
he  lifted  a  wounded  comrade  from  the  ground  and 
threw  him  across  his  saddle.  "  Several  of  our 
fellows  are  dead  and  several  more  dying,  and  not 
one  of  their  crowd  is  hurt.  Those  shells  appear 

to  have  gone  clean  over  them." 
194 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  Dinner  call  has  sounded,"  was  the  informa 
tion  a  trooper  conveyed,  as  he  rode  up  to  the  little 
group. 

"  Dinner?  "  repeated  Jack.  "  Ugh !  I  want  no 
dinner  with  dead  and  dying  around  me." 

"  Pshaw !  don't  be  foolish,"  urged  the  other,  the 
old  trooper  who  had  entertained  him  with  stories 
of  Jameson  the  night  before.  "You  can't  fight 
unless  you  eat,  and  you'll  need  all  the  fight  that 
is  in  you  before  you  get  through.  Come,  eat 
while  you  can,  for  we're  shortly  going  to  try  and 
flank  that  hill  and  get  by  the  town  if  possible. " 

"  This  getting  by  seems  to  be  easier  said  than 
done,"  remarked  Jack,  a  couple  of  hours  later,  as 
another  hail  of  bullets  met  them  and  sounded  a 
sharp  "  No  Thoroughfare ! " 

"Back  again  we  go  to  the  other  side  of  the 
place,"  rejoined  Alexander,  turning  his  horse  to 
suit  the  action  of  the  words,  and  obeying  the 
general  movement  of  the  column.  Here,  again, 
they  saw  another  sobering  picture  as  they  met  the 
wagons  containing  the  wounded. 

"Ha!  things  seem  to  be  going  better  now," 
announced  Jack,  riding  back  to  his  companoins 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

later  in  the  afternoon.  "  See !  the  whole  column 
is  in  motion,  and  a  messenger  has  just  come  in 
announcing  that  the  Johannesburg  forces  are  on 
the  way  to  our  assistance." 

"Buck  up,  boys,"  was  the  cheering  command 
of  one  of  the  officers,  riding  down  the  line  and 
confirming  this  rumor.  "  Help  will  reach  us  be 
fore  sundown." 

"  Here  they  are  now,"  cried  Alexander,  point 
ing  to  a  force  discernible  ahead  in  the  fast  ap 
proaching  dusk. 

"  Good  God ! "  he  added,  a  few  minutes  later, 
"  they  're  firing  on  us.  There's  some  mistake. 
Why  don't  they  send  word  ahead,  and  not  have  us 
shooting  one  another.  Eh  ? "  he  asked,  as  a 
trooper  rode  down  the  lines.  "  Not  the  Johannes 
burg  people?  More  Boers?  Well,  where  the 
devil  are  those  who  were  going  to  come  out  and 
help  us?" 

This  was  a  conundrum  which  no  one  could  an 
swer.  Before,  behind,  and  on  all  sides  it  seemed 
as  if  the  Boers  were  rising  out  of  the  very  ground. 
Darkness  set  in,  supplemented  by  rain,  and  the 

guides  were  doubtful  about  the  road,  so  the  order 
196 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

came  down  to  camp  for  the  night.  In  imitation 
of  the  Boers,  a  laager  was  formed,  with  the  wagons 
on  the  outside  of  a  great  circle,  but  even  this  did 
not  protect  them  from  their  enemies.  All  night 
long  they  poured  desultory  shots  into  the  camp, 
finding  an  occasional  human  target. 

"This  is  hell  itself,"  remarked  Pat.  "Twould 
be  even  betther  to  take  chances  and  thry  and  break 
through  than  to  stay  here  as  marks  for  their  pop 
guns."  He  echoed  the  sentiments  of  all  those 
within  hearing,  but  no  move  was  made  until  morn 
ing,  when  the  gray  light  of  dawn  outlined  the  sur 
rounding  country.  The  Maxim  guns  had  kept  the 
Boers  at  a  respectful  distance  during  the  night, 
but  when  daylight  came  the  enemy  was  not  to 
be  seen,  except  an  occasional  detachment  moving 
in  the  distance. 

Doggedly  the  troopers  again  advanced,  although 
their  tired  animals  were  barely  able  to  stumble 
along  and  the  riders  were  completely  exhausted. 
Three  nights  with  scarcely  a  wink  of  sleep  had 
left  them  drawn  and  haggard,  wearied  in  mind  as 
well  as  in  body,  but  still  animated  with  a  gritty 

determination  to  advance  at  any  cost. 
'97 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"  Buck  up,  boys  !  "  cried  Jameson,  riding  among 
them  and  cheering  them  up  with  his  magnificent 
optimism.  "  There's  an  old  farm  yonder.  Once 
there,  we  can  hold  out  until  assistance  comes,  and 
that  is  promised  us  without  fail. " 

On  they  pushed,  replying  to  an  occasional  vol 
ley  from  an  adjacent  kopje,  until  they  dragged 
their  weary  bodies  within  the  precincts  of  the  farm 
and  defended  themselves  from  further  assault  from 
behind  the  stone  walls  of  the  farmhouse  buildings. 
But  still  they  were  not  free  from  danger.  From 
all  sides  the  Boers  were  gathering,  and  in  spite  of 
the  defences  supplied  by  the  farm  buildings  they 
were  pouring  in  a  shower  of  bullets  which  found 
victims  here,  there,  and  everywhere. 

"  Holy  smoke ! "  cried  Jack,  as  a  new  sound 
came  to  his  ears.  "  They've  got  artillery  to  help 
them.  Now  we  are  in  for  it. " 

"  Yes,  and  our  own  guns  are  almost  useless," 
announced  Alexander,  joining  him.  "I've  just 
been  over  there,  and  they're  so  warm  that  they're 
out  of  the  fight.  They've  been  obliged  to  cool 
them  with  water,  and  I  doubt  if  they're  much 

good." 

198 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

But  still  Jameson  cried :  "  Buck  up,  boys !"  He 
pointed  to  a  narrow  pass  in  the  hills.  "  There's 
one  road  to  safety,"  he  added.  "  We'll  try  it.  To 
remain  here  is  to  be  killed  like  rats  in  a  trap." 

Gallantly  his  little  band  followed  him  out  of 
the  farm  and  in  the  indicated  direction.  The  pos 
sibilities  of  a  spirited  dash  cheered  them,  and  they 
went  forward  with  a  yell  of  exultation.  It  changed 
to  one  of  anger  and  dismay,  a  few  moments  later, 
when  they  were  met  with  another  hail  of  bullets 
from  behind  the  rocks  of  the  rising  ground  on 
either  side  of  the  defile. 

"Charge!"  yelled  Jameson.  With  a  yell  his 
men  complied.  Suddenly  Jack  felt  a  sharp  twinge 
in  his  thigh,  rolled  in  his  saddle  for  a  moment, 
and  then  fell  from  his  horse. 

He  heard  the  thud  of  the  hoofs  of  the  horses  of 
his  companions ;  he  felt  the  shock  of  the  recoil 
which  sent  them  back  again ;  he  heard  the  second 
order  to  charge ;  dreamed  that  he  saw  Pat  hovering 
near  him ;  and  then  sank  into  unconsciousness. 

He  realized  that  the  day  was  lost.  Back  to  the 
farm  rode  the  repulsed  troopers,  and  he  was  spared 
the  sight  of  the  white  flag  rising  over  its  walls  to  in- 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

dicate  that  his  friends  had  surrendered.  Uncon 
sciousness  was  bliss  compared  to  that  scene. 
Doubtless  there  would  have  been  tears  in  his  eyes, 
as  there  were  in  the  eyes  of  others,  had  he  been  a 
witness  to  it,  but  even  though  wounded  almost  to 
death,  his  condition  was  blissful  compared  to  that 
of  the  high-spirited  fellows  who  had  ridden  by  his 
side  from  Pitsani  and  Mafeking.  This  was  the 
most  intense  suffering  of  all.  By  comparison,  the 
long,  hard  ride  and  the  sleepless  nights  were  as 
trifles.  Oh,  what  a  terrible  nightmare  their  dream 
ha<J  become !  Not  even  the  fact  that  their  con 
querors,  instead  of  jeering  at  their  victory,  knelt 
down  and  offered  prayers  of  thanksgiving  for  it, 
could  assuage  the  wounds  in  the  hearts  of  the 
troopers.  These  were  as  bitter  as  death  itself. 

"  Damn  those  cowards  !  "  cried  one  young  fel 
low,  shaking  his  fist  in  the  direction  he  conceived 
Johannesburg  to  be.  "  They  deserve  to  be  the 
slaves  they  are ! " 


200 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

"  HAPPY  New  Year !  "  remarked  Muriel  sadly, 
as  she  lifted  the  shades  of  her  windows.  "  Ah, 
the  phrase  is  a  mockery.  How  hollow  the  words 
sound!" 

It  was  indeed  hard  for  her  to  find  any  possible 
pretext  for  happiness.  She  was  thousands  of  miles 
from  home  and  kindred ;  her  friends  had  departed, 
and  she  was  practically  alone,  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land,  and  a  resident  of  a  city  which,  in  ad 
dition  to  being  silenced  by  a  frowning  battery  on 
the  heights  above  it,  trembled  under  the  foreboding 
of  a  threat  more  distant  but  momentarily  ap 
proaching  nearer  and  nearer. 

And  Jack !  Where  was  he  in  this  crisis  ?  Per 
petually  dwelt  his  name  on  her  lips  and  his  mem 
ory  in  her  heart.  Would  she  ever  see  him  again, 
or  would  the  sufferings  she  had  voluntarily  under 
gone  be  unrewarded  by  the  meeting  for  which  she 
had  hoped  and  prayed  ?  Hourly  the  tension  in  the 

201 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

city  seemed  to  increase.  To  all  intents  and  pur 
poses  the  place  was  undergoing  a  siege.  Business 
was  completely  forgotten.  The  shops  were  barri 
caded,  and  a  kind  of  martial  law  prevailed.  In 
stead  of  the  familiar  Boer  policemen  marched 
armed  militiamen.  The  streets  were  filled  with 
citizen  soldiery,  some  uniformed,  but  most  of  them 
attired  in  their  usual  business  costumes. 

Would  Kruger  relent  ?  Would  the  justice  of  the 
demands  sent  him  penetrate  his  obstinate  heart 
and  relieve  the  strain  which  threatened  to  end  in 
blood? 

"  Wait !  "  counselled  the  more  cautious.  "  Wait 
until  the  Americans  return !  " 

The  Americans  had  been  sent  to  Pretoria  as 
special  envoys  to  bring  about,  if  possible,  a  com 
promise  of  the  conflict  which  now  seemed  inevit 
able.  It  was  out  of  the  question  for  peaceful  rela 
tions  to  be  maintained  unless  some  compromise 
were  effected.  Armed  neutrality  was  a  mockery. 
On  one  hill  covering  the  town  was  a  Boer  battery. 
On  another  hill,  a  half  mile  away,  was  an  impro 
vised  fortress  of  Outlanders,  whose  guns  pointed 

at  the  battery  of  the  Dutchmen.     It  needed  only 
a  02 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

a  spark  to  ignite  the  combustible  wrath  of  both 
sides. 

"  Ha !  The  Americans !  "  went  up  the  excited 
cry,  as  a  train  rumbled  in  from  Pretoria.  A  chat 
tering  throng  followed  the  envoys  to  the  doors  of 
the  Rand  Club,  and  then  a  demand  went  up  that 
the  report  of  the  Americans  should  be  publicly  an 
nounced.  A  speaker  came  out  on  the  balcony, 
and  was  greeted  with  cheers.  He  raised  his  hand 
to  command  silence,  and  then  said  that,  while  the 
mission  had  not  been  entirely  satisfactory,  there 
was  some  ground  for  hope;  the  president  had 
promised  to  consider  the  matter  immediately. 

"  Bah ! "  was  the  excited  reply  of  the  throng. 
"  Consider !  That's  what  they  have  always  said. 
Consider !  Let  us  make  them  consider.  The  only 
way  to  get  any  concessions  from  them  is  to  point 
a  gun  at  their  heads." 

The  anger  of  the  throng  was  so  terrible  that 
Muriel,  who  was  taking  a  walk  in  company  with 
the  rector  and  his  wife,  turned  down  a  side  street 
to  get  out  of  hearing.  But  to  be  entirely  deaf  to 
such  remarks  was  out  of  the  question.  Every 
where  they  turned  they  came  upon  excited  groups, 
203 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

all  intent  upon  a  discussion  of  the  same  topic,  al 
though  perhaps  of  different  details. 

"  Give  us  liberty  or  give  us  death !  "  shrieked  an 
enthusiastic  American  to  a  crowd  of  applauding 
listeners  who  surrounded  the  soap  box  which  he 
had  converted  into  a  rostrum.  "  They  say  they 
will  consider.  When  ?  Will  it  be  the  next  week 
or  the  next  year  ?  Will  it  be  when  some  of  us  are 
dead  and  the  rest  of  us  in  prison  ?  No,  I  say. 
Now  is  the  time — now  or  never. " 

A  fusillade  of  shots,  fired  into  the  air,  greeted 
this  remark.  During  his  peroration  the  excited 
speaker  was  swept  from  his  perch  by  his  more  ex 
cited  auditors,  and  down  the  street  they  marched, 
yelling  threats,  waving  their  hats  and  outlining 
their  intentions  by  firing  repeated  volleys. 

"Let  us  make  haste  slowly,"  argued  a  con 
servative,  addressing  a  gathering  of  conservatives, 
mainly  shopkeepers,  in  front  of  the  hotel.  "  There 
is  nothing  to  be  gained  by  haste,  and  everything 
may  be  lost.  Kruger  says  he  will  consider.  Give 
him  time.  He  cannot  do  everything  in  a  minute. 
These  Dutchmen  are  slow  to  move  in  such  matters, 

and,  though  he  may  be  willing  to  do  so,  it  will 
204 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

take  him  some  time  to  bring  his  cabinet  to  his  way 
of  thinking.  Besides,"  the  speaker  lowered  his 
voice,  "the  condition  of  things  in  the  city  has 
reached  a  dangerous  pass,  and  the  danger  threat 
ens  from  within  more  seriously  than  it  does  from 
without.  Some  of  the  miners  have  taken  too  much 
liquor,  and  they  go  marching  about,  shooting  in 
the  most  reckless  fashion.  If  our  shops  were  not 
locked,  I'm  afraid  that  they  would  have  been  looted 
before  now.  How  much  longer  it  will  be  before 
they  are  broken  open,  who  can  tell  ?  " 

He  looked  around  the  little  circle  of  listeners  as 
if  demanding  a  reply,  but  none  was  forthcoming. 
His  hearers  seemed  filled  with  the  same  doubting 
emotions  as  himself. 

"That's  true,"  rejoined  another.  "There  are 
hundreds  of  men  here  who  care  nothing  for  civil 
rights,  or  rights  of  any  other  kind.  They'd  as 
soon  steal  from  us  as  from  the  Boers." 

Farther  along  Muriel  passed  the  building  which 
was  being  used  as  a  place  of  refuge  for  the  wives 
and  children  of  the  miners,  who  had  come  in  from 
the  suburbs  of  the  city  in  order  to  claim  its  protec 
tion.  The  faces  of  the  women  were  wan  and  anx- 
205 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

ious.  They  showed  the  terrible  anxiety  they  felt 
for  the  husbands,  brothers  and  sons  marching  in 
the  street  below,  but  waiting  to  be  summoned  at 
any  moment  to  meet  the  Boers  in  battle.  Many 
of  the  men  were  being  paid  for  their  services,  to 
be  sure,  and  their  dependants  were  being  provided 
for  out  of  the  fund  which  had  been  raised  by  popu 
lar  subscription ;  but  this  fact  could  not  assuage 
the  fears  which  tugged  at  the  heartstrings  of  their 
dear  ones. 

A  messenger  mounted  on  a  bicycle  whizzed  by 
to  announce  that  Jameson  was  coming.  This  an 
nouncement  evoked  another  storm  of  applause, 
punctuated,  as  usual,  by  a  volley  of  shots. 

"Hurrah  for  Jameson!"  yelled  the  crowd. 
"  Now  we  are  all  right.  When  Jameson  gets  here, 
he'll  give  these  chaps  something  to  think  about." 

The  enthusiasm  went  up  to  fever  heat,  only  to 
be  crushed  by  a  telegram  from  the  south,  announc 
ing  that  the  train  to  Durban  had  been  wrecked, 
and  that  hundreds  had  been  killed.  No  particulars 
were  given,  beyond  the  mere  fact.  How  it  hap 
pened  no  one  could  tell,  but  all  knew  that  it  was 

due  to  the  terrible  overcrowding  of  the  cars.     This 
206 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

news  brought  out  a  conflict  of  comment.  Those 
who  had  relatives  or  friends  aboard  stormed  the 
telegraph  office  for  more  detailed  information. 
The  names  of  the  killed — give  them  the  names, 
they  demanded. 

"Served  'em  right,"  was  the  surly  growl  of 
others.  "They  were  willing  to  run  away  from 
the  place  and  leave  us  to  fight  it  out  here.  They 
have  none  to  blame  but  their  own  selfishness. " 

"  But  their  wives  and  children ;  surely  you  do  not 
blame  them  for  sending  their  wives  and  children 
away,"  remonstrated  a  bystander,  who  overheard 
this  cruel  remark. 

"  Hang  their  wives  and  children  !  "  retorted  the 
rough  miner  who  had  spoken.  "  My  wife  and  chil 
dren  are  here,  and  they  are  just  as  good  as  those 
of  any  other  man.  Wives  and  children !  Didn't 
I  see  dozens  of  men  on  that  train  when  it  went  out  ? 
I  say  wives  and  children  to  you!  There  were 
white-livered  men  there,  too,  and,  I  say  again,  it 
serves  'em  right. " 

But  the  brave  hearts,  even  among  the  women, 
had  not  all  deserted  the  place,  to  seek  safety  in 

flight.     There  were  many  women  whose  means 

207 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

would  have  permitted  them  to  depart,  and  whose 
husbands,  fathers  and  brothers  urged  and  begged 
them  to  do  so,  who  refused  to  stir  one  inch  from 
the  place.  They  established  themselves  into  a  hos 
pital  corps  and  began  the  preparations  for  the 
emergency  which  stared  them  in  the  face. 

To  Muriel  it  seemed  as  if  that  day,  instead  of 
being  one  of  happiness,  was  the  forerunner  of  per 
petual  misery.  She  found  some  comfort  in  the 
fact  that  the  wrecked  train  was  the  one  that  fol 
lowed  that  containing  Lady  Stanmore  and  the  rest 
of  her  friends ;  but  she  felt  herself  shaking  with 
pity  for  those  who  had  lost  their  lives  while  trying 
to  reach  safety.  It  seemed  as  if  this  awful  catas 
trophe  only  prefaced  more  portentous  events,  which 
would  discount  even  the  worst  anticipations  of  those 
who  supposed  they  had  schooled  themselves  to  face 
the  terrible  reality. 

That  night  pandemonium  reigned.  Messengers 
who  had  been  sent  out  as  scouts,  returned  to  bring 
back  reports  of  one  kind  and  another,  until  the  air 
was  so  thick  with  rumors  that  it  was  impossible  to 
tell  what  the  facts  in  the  case  were.  Now  Jame 
son  was  almost  within  hail  of  the  city ;  now  he  had 
208 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

had  a  skirmish  with  the  Boers  and  had  won ;  and 
now  he  was  quite  a  distance  off,  but  had  outflanked 
those  who  would  intercept  him.  The  next  morn 
ing  it  was  even  worse.  The  excitement  was  so  in 
tense  that  Muriel  decided  that  she  would  not  ven 
ture  out  of  the  house ;  but  the  rector  volunteered 
to  go  down  to  the  Goldfields  Company's  office  and 
bring  back  what  news  was  obtainable.  He  found 
the  street,  for  a  block  from  The  Chains  to  the  Gold- 
fields  office  packed  with  people,  prominent  among 
whom  were  several  members  of  the  Reform  Com 
mittee,  and  occasionally  these  gentlemen  would 
announce  from  the  windows  of  the  Goldfields 
Company's  office,  to  the  throng  in  the  street  be 
low,  such  bulletins  as  were  received  from  mes 
sengers. 

The  same  contradictory  reports  prevailed  during 
the  entire  forenoon,  and  finally  the  bulletins  be 
came  so  awful  that  the  speakers  shrunk  from  the 
task  of  making  any  announcement.  Even  when 
an  announcement  was  delivered,  it  was  colored  so 
as  not  to  excite  a  riot.  The  gentlemen  in  the 
offices  paled  before  the  apparent  reliability  of  the 

latest  message.     Jameson  had  been  defeated !    The 
209 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

Boers  had  intercepted  him  just  outside  of  Kru- 
gersdorp,  had  killed  some  of  his  men  and  captured 
all  the  others.  And  his  dispatches  had  been 
found,  among  them  the  very  letter  from  the  com 
mittee  inviting  him  and  his  men  to  assist  them 
at  Johannesburg !  In  the  face  of  all  this,  what  was 
to  be  done  ?  The  members  of  the  committee  were 
confronted,  not  merely  with  the  news  of  Jameson's 
defeat  and  the  collapse  of  their  own  hopes,  but 
with  the  terrible  suspicion  that  they  would  have  to 
pay  with  their  own  lives  for  the  complicity  in  the 
affair  which  their  letter  indicated.  But  the  impa 
tient  throng  below  did  not  know  this. 

"What  about  Jameson?"  they  cried.  "Lead 
us  out  and  we'll  help  him,  if  he  needs  any  help. 
Speak  up !  Don't  be  afraid !  We're  ready !  " 

"You  tell  them,"  suggested  one  man,  pushing 
another  toward  the  window. 

"  No,  no ;  you  tell  them,"  the  other  urged,  edg 
ing  back  from  the  window. 

It  was  clear  that  the  duty  must  devolve  on  some 
one.  The  rumor  had  reached  the  crowd  that  Jame 
son  had  met  the  Boers,  but  that  he  needed  assist 
ance.  To  permit  the  acceptance  of  this  rumor 

210 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

would  be  to  immediately  organize  a  command  to 
go  out  to  his  assistance.  On  the  other  hand,  to 
tell  them  the  whole  truth,  after  the  encouraging 
reports  which  had  been  promulgated  earlier  in  the 
day,  would  be  to  bring  on  a  riot.  Finally  the  an 
nouncement  was  made  that  Jameson  had  had  a 
skirmish  with  the  Boers,  and  that,  being  overpow 
ered,  he  had  conditionally  surrendered. 

For  a  moment  there  was  intense  silence.  Then 
a  yell  of  rage  went  up  and  the  walls  of  the  build 
ing  were  threatened. 

"Surrendered?  Then  why  didn't  you  lead  us 
out  to  help  him  ?  Surrendered  ?  O  God,  and  we 
here  waiting  for  him  to  come  to  us !  Oh,  ye  cow 
ards  !  "  threatening  the  men  in  the  building.  "  Ye 
are  to  blame  for  all  this.  Now  we're  caught  like 
rats  in  a  trap,  and,  damn  us,  it  serves  us  right;  it 
serves  us  right !  " 


211 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

MURIEL  received  the  news  of  the  disaster  to 
Jameson  and  his  men  without  waiting  for  the  rec 
tor  to  return.  She  was  sitting  in  her  room,  watch 
ing  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  excited  tide  of  human 
ity  below  her,  when  the  maid  knocked  at  her  door 
and  announced  that  a  visitor  desired  to  see  her. 
She  descended  to  the  hall,  to  find  Kooste  awaiting 
her.  He  was  dusty  and  travel-stained.  Across 
his  shoulder  was  suspended  a  cartridge  belt,  which 
even  then  Muriel  noticed  was  partly  empty,  and  on 
his  arm  was  slung  a  rifle.  He  bowed  in  acknowl 
edgment  of  her  presence,  and  greeted  her  with  the 
laconic  statement : 

"You're  wanted." 

"  Has  war  been  declared  ?  "  she  asked,  starting 
back. 

"The  war  is  over,"  he  grimly  replied,  "and 
some  of  your  countrymen  need  your  aid.  I  told 

212 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

you  I  would  call  for  you  when  you  were  wanted. 
The  time  has  come.  Are  you  ready?  " 

"Yes,"  she  replied  without  a  moment's  de 
lay. 

"Then  prepare  to  go  with  me  at  once." 

"Where?" 

"  To  Krugersdorp.  We  are  establishing  a  hos 
pital  there  and  need  all  the  nurses  we  can  get. 
Can  you  start  immediately?  " 

"Yes;  I'll  be  ready  in  ten  minutes." 

"  Very  good ;  time  is  precious.  The  news  prob 
ably  has  not  yet  reached  here,  and  we  must  be  out 
of  the  city  before  it  does,  if  I  am  going  to  accom 
pany  you,  for  my  life  would  not  then  be  worth  a 
penny." 

"  I  will  not  delay,"  she  answered,  hurrying  away, 
to  return  within  the  specified  period.  In  the  mean 
time  she  gathered  together  the  few  effects  she  had 
arranged  in  anticipation  of  the  possibility  of  this 
call.  Into  a  satchel  she  had  thrown  some  few  nec 
essary  articles  of  clothing,  and  on  her  arm  she  car 
ried  a  wrap  to  protect  her  from  the  night  air.  It 
caused  a  pang  to  leave  behind  many  little  articles 

dear  to  her,  and  made  the  process  of  selection  a 
213 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

difficult  one ;  but  she  realized  that  it  was  folly  to 
encumber  herself  and  her  friend  with  articles  that 
were  not  absolutely  necessary ;  so  she  confined  her 
baggage  to  the  fewest  possible  essentials. 

"  I'm  ready,"  she  announced. 

Kooste  gazed  at  her  in  admiration.  Her  cheeks 
were  flushed  with  excitement,  her  lips  compressed, 
and  her  eyes  sparkling.  Never,  he  thought,  had 
he  seen  her  so  beautiful. 

"  Good ! "  was  his  single  comment,  as  he  led  the 
way  to  the  street,  carrying  the  satchel.  "  I  have  a 
carriage  in  waiting  just  outside  the  city.  It  was 
dangerous  to  drive  in  here,  so  I  left  it  beyond,  but 
it  will  not  take  us  long  to  reach  it." 

Through  the  excited  thoroughfare  he  escorted 
her,  but  no  one  molested  them,  and  no  one  even 
spoke  to  him,  although  he  was  well  known  to  many 
who  glanced  curiously  at  him  as  he  passed. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Kooste,  do  you  realize  the  danger  to 
which  you  are  exposing  yourself  in  this  city  ?  " 
whispered  Muriel,  as  they  moved  swiftly  along. 

"  I  realize  everything ;  but  I  am  doing  this  for 
your  sake.     I  have  not  hesitated  to  face  death  be 
fore,  this  day;  I  am  ready  to  face  it  again." 
214 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"Then  you  were  in  the  fight?"  she  eagerly 
asked. 

"  Sh-h !  "  he  warningly  replied.  "  Don't  speak 
of  that  here;  I'll  tell  you  about  it  later." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  limits  of  the  city  had  been 
passed,  and  he  pointed  to  two  carriages  waiting  in 
the  distance.  One  of  them  contained  two  of  his 
fellow-countrymen,  whom  he  had  evidently  taken 
with  him  as  a  sort  of  a  bodyguard  in  case  of 
trouble,  and  the  other  he  had  reserved  for 
Muriel  and  himself.  Few  words  were  spoken. 
Kooste  tossed  the  satchel  into  the  second  car 
riage,  assisted  Muriel  to  the  seat,  and  then 
ordered  the  men  in  the  other  carriage  to  drive 
on.  Holding  the  lines  over  the  beautiful  pair  of 
stallions  in  the  second  carriage,  Kooste  closely 
followed,  and  the  eighteen-mile  ride  to  Krugers- 
dorp  was  begun.  Up  hill  and  down  they  dashed, 
the  road  stretching  out  before  them  like  a  great 
white  ribbon. 

"I'm  glad  that  you  are  here,"  he  said,  after  the 
town  had  been  left  a  few  miles  behind  and  the 
danger  of  a  clash  was  eliminated. 

"I  can't  say  that  I'm  glad,  but  I'm  ready  to 
215 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

do  my  duty,  as  I  told  you  I  would  be,"  Muriel 
answered. 

"  Yes,  I  know— I  know/'  he  replied.  "  I  did 
not  mean  that  I  was  at  all  surprised  that  you  had 
persisted  in  your  determination  to  come.  I  felt 
all  along  that  you  would  do  that ;  I  was  referring 
to  your  personal  safety.  It  is  better  for  you  to  be 
out  of  Johannesburg.  Our  men  command  the 
heights,  and  if  the  Outlanders  do  not  surrender,  the 
city  will  be  levelled  to  the  ground.  The  order 
for  its  bombardment,  if  the  people  do  not  lay  down 
their  arms,  has  already  been  given.  Here,  at  least, 
your  life  is  safe.  There,  I  would  not  be  able  to 
guarantee  as  much  in  the  course  of  a  day  or  two." 

She  shivered  at  the  thought. 

"And  what  of  the  battle?  "  she  asked.  "Tell 
me  of  that." 

"The  battle  is  over,"  he  answered.  "Jameson 
and  five  hundred  of  his  men,  riding  from  Maf eking, 
were  met  by  our  troops  just  outside  of  Krugers- 
dorp.  There  was  a  battle,  and  Jameson  is  de 
feated.  Those  who  are  living  are  now  prisoners  in 
Krugersdorp.  The  dead  are  being  buried  where 

they  fell.     The  wounded  have  been  taken  to  a  hos- 
216 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

pital  we  are  preparing  at  Krugersdorp,  where  we 
will  give  them  the  best  attention  possible.  The 
surgeons  are  already  at  work.  Some  of  my  coun 
trywomen  are  doing  what  they  can ;  but  I  came 
for  you  because  I  thought  an  English  woman  would 
be  more  desirable  for  treating  the  English,  who 
constitute  the  greater  part  of  the  wounded.  Your 
woman's  ingenuity  and  your  woman's  heart  can  do 
a  great  deal  to  alleviate  their  suffering." 

"Then  I  thank  God  that  I  have  remained,"  she 
said ;  "  I  may  not  be  able  to  do  much,  but  whatso 
ever  is  in  my  power  is  at  their  service ;  and  oh, 
Mr.  Kooste,  I  thank  you  for  the  opportunity,  and 
for  the  kindness  which  led  you  to  venture  into 
Johannesburg  to  notify  me.  You  have  made  me 
eternally  your  debtor." 

"  It  is  nothing,"  he  replied. 

"  And  you  were  in  the  fight  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Yes ;  when  I  left  you  on  Monday,  after  com 
ing  from  the  train,  I  went  to  my  home  at  Potchef- 
stroom,  as  I  was  ordered.  Shortly  after  Jameson 
had  crossed  the  border,  we  received  the  news,  and 
Commandant  Cronje  ordered  us  to  follow  him  to 

Krugersdorp.     We  knew  that  Jameson  would  pass 
217 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

through  or  near  that  place,  and  we  had  full  infor 
mation  as  to  his  numbers  and  purpose.  We  rode 
all  night,  and  got  there  ahead  of  him.  He  tried 
to  fight  his  way  through ;  but  we  stopped  him,  and 
compelled  him  to  surrender.  I  don't  know  how 
many  of  his  men  are  killed  and  wounded,  but  there 
are  many.  Only  a  few  on  our  side  were  wounded, 
Cronje's  son  among  them.  He's  down  there  at 
the  hospital,  too.  As  soon  as  the  battle  was  over, 
this  afternoon,  I  thought  of  you  and  started  for 
Johannesburg,  in  order  to  reach  the  city  before  the 
news  of  the  battle  should  arrive.  The  rest  of  the 
story  you  already  know. 

"There  is  a  storm  coming,"  he  said,  by  way  of 
apology  for  the  jolting  caused  by  whipping  up  the 
horses.  He  pointed  to  the  west,  in  which  heavy 
clouds  could  be  seen  gathering.  Onward  they 
dashed,  the  mettlesome  stallions  gripping  the  bits 
in  their  teeth  and  plunging  wildly  forward,  closely 
on  the  heels  of  the  carriage  preceding.  It  was  a 
race  as  if  for  life.  The  storm  clouds  had  so  over 
cast  the  sky  as  to  cause  an  unusual  darkness,  and 
at  times  it  was  necessary  to  slightly  check  the 

speed  of  the  horses  in  order  to  avoid  the  possibili- 
218 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

ties  of  danger  lurking  in  some  yawning  spruit. 
The  vehicles  carried  no  lights,  and  in  a  few  min 
utes  Kooste  was  able  to  maintain  his  course  only 
by  watching  the  swaying  top  of  the  carriage  in  front 
of  him,  whose  white  duck  covering  formed  an  ex 
cellent  beacon  in  the  darkness.  Several  times 
they  escaped  disaster  by  a  hair's  breadth.  The 
darkness  was  so  intense  that  it  was  almost  impos 
sible  to  follow  the  road,  and  before  they  realized  it 
they  were  thrice  brought  to  a  standstill  on  the  verge 
of  a  chasm  by  the  shying  of  the  horses,  whose  in 
stinct  was  keener  than  the  sight  of  the  drivers. 
.Speed  was  necessary,  however.  The  storm  was 
rapidly  approaching,  and  a  rainstorm  in  South 
Africa  is  a  thing  to  strike  terror  to  the  heart.  It 
is  a  deluge.  The  very  heavens  seem  to  open. 

"Halt!" 

The  horses  were  pulled  up  on  their  haunches 
and  an  armed  figure  could  be  dimly  discerned  in 
the  gloom.  Muriel  gripped  Kooste's  arm  in  her 
excitement. 

"Fear  nothing;  it  is  one  of  our  outposts,"  he 
explained. 

The  challenge  of  the  sentry  was  responded  to  by 
219 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

the  occupants  of  the  first  carriage,  and  a  momen 
tary  parley  resulted. 

"What's  the  matter?"  impatiently  asked 
Kooste,  who  had  not  alighted. 

11  He  refuses  to  let  us  pass,"  called  back  one  of 
the  men  in  the  first  carriage. 

"  Refuses  ?     Have  you  shown  him  the  order  ?  " 

"Yes;  but  he  says  his  instructions  forbid  it 
after  sunset." 

"  Forbid  it  ?  Nonsense !  What  are  we  to  do  ?  " 
asked  Kooste,  alighting  and  walking  toward  the 
sentry. 

"  You  can  go  back  the  way  you  came  or  outspan 
here  for  the  night,"  was  the  stolid  reply. 

"What  do  you  mean?  "  excitedly  asked  Kooste. 

"  These  are  my  instructions,"  answered  the  sen- 
try. 

"  But  have  you  read  the  order  ?  And  do  you 
know  who  I  am  ?  "  demanded  Kooste. 

"  It  makes  no  difference,"  was  the  obdurate  re 
sponse.  "  We  have  made  our  laager  for  the  night, 
and  President  Kruger  himself  could  not  go 
through." 

"  But  you  have  the  President's  order.     Don't 


220 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

you  see  what  he  says :  '  Pass  Jan  Kooste  and 
friends  to  the  hospital.'  Do  you  mean  to  say  that 
you  will  not  honor  that,  and  that  I,  who  fought  all 
the  day,  while  you,  a  stripling,  were  in  the  back 
ground,  cannot  pass  through  my  own  outposts  ?  It 
is  preposterous." 

"Then  you  must  be  blindfolded,"  replied  the 
sentry,  feeling  that  in  view  of  the  facts  he  was  too 
literally  obeying  instructions. 

"  Blindfolded?  Absurd,"  retorted  Kooste. 
"  Am  I  an  enemy  or  a  suspicious  character  that  I 
should  be  blindfolded  while  passing  through  a 
laager  of  my  countrymen?  " 

"  You  cannot  go  through  otherwise,"  said  the  lad 
firmly.  "  We  are  waiting  for  an  attack  from  the 
Outlanders  of  Johannesburg.  They  are  expected 
to  come  out  here  at  any  moment,  and  we  are  wait 
ing  to  meet  them.  My  instructions  were  to  let  no 
one  pass  after  sunset ;  but,  in  view  of  your  rank,  I 
am  going  to  make  an  exception.  I  do  not  know 
your  companions  and  the  lady,  however,  and  I  in 
sist  that  if  they  pass  through  the  laager  they  shall 
be  blindfolded  so  that  they  cannot  obtain  any  in 
formation  which  will  be  of  service  to  them." 

221 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"My  comrades  are  as  loyal  as  myself,"  warmly 
protested  Kooste.  "  And  as  for  this  lady,  she  has 
volunteered  to  come  out  here  to  nurse  your  wounded 
countrymen.  Do  you  dare  tell  me  that  you  will 
submit  her  to  such  an  indignity?  Besides,  think 
of  it !  The  night  is  so  dark  that  she  cannot  see 
her  hand  in  front  of  her  face.  What  information 
could  she  gain  by  passing  around  or  through  the 
laager?  " 

But  the  sentry  was  obstinate.  He  admitted  that 
the  arguments  of  Kooste  were  strong,  and  finally 
he  announced  a  decision  which  was  accepted  by 
Kooste  because  time  was  valuable.  The  storm  was 
coming  closer  and  closer,  and  much  time  that  could 
be  ill  spared  had  already  been  consumed  in  a  profit 
less  dispute. 

"  You  may  pass,"  said  the  sentry,  relentingly, 
"  but  you  must  be  blindfolded,  excepting  the  lady. 
You  men  will  have  to  go  on  foot.  She  may  stay 
in  the  carriage,  and  I  will  drive  for  her." 

The  sentry  called  several  of  his  companions, 
and,  after  binding  handkerchiefs  over  the  eyes  of 
the  three  men,  Kooste  and  his  two  companions 
were  led  in  single  file  through  the  laager.  Muriel 

222 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

followed  in  the  carriage,  with  the  young  Boer  sen 
try  as  her  driver.  She  almost  smiled  at  the  cau 
tion  which  he  had  observed.  As  they  advanced 
through  the  camp,  she  could  distinguish  to  the  right 
and  left  the  outlines  of  wagons,  of  picketed  horses, 
and  of  recumbent  figures,  but  nothing  more.  A 
quarter  of  a  mile  of  this  slow  advance  and  then  the 
laager  had  been  passed.  The  handkerchiefs  were 
removed  from  the  eyes  of  Kooste  and  his  associ 
ates,  and  after  apologizing  for  the  inconvenience, 
the  sentries  bade  them  a  pleasant  good-night. 

Onward  the  carriages  again  dashed.  The  goal 
was  now  within  sight.  Below  the  murky  clouds 
an  occasional  flicker  of  light  marked  Krugersdorp. 
It  was  a  welcome  beacon.  The  wind  was  whist 
ling  with  a  fierce  threat  on  its  lips,  the  distant 
rumble  of  thunder  was  growling  in  a  menacing 
undertone,  and  the  lightning  was  flashing  as  if  the 
sheet  of  flame  which  marked  each  flash  was  a  wild 
animal  springing  in  its  leash.  The  next  halt  of 
the  little  party  was  made  before  the  little  corru 
gated  iron  structure  in  Krugersdorp  which  was 
dignified  by  the  name  of  Varley's  Hotel.  It  was  a 

terribly  shabby  place  and   the    accommodations 
223 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

were  of  the  roughest  kind.  But  Muriel  was  so 
worn  out  by  the  physical  fatigue  of  the  journey 
and  the  terror  inspired  by  the  approaching  storm 
that  she  welcomed  it  as  a  haven  of  refuge.  Hardly 
had  she  lifted  the  latch  of  the  door  when  the 
storm  broke  in  all  its  fury.  It  seemed  to  her  as  if 
the  Deluge  was  to  be  repeated,  and  it  was  with  a 
thankful  heart  that  she  threw  herself  on  her  knees 
by  the  side  of  the  cot  in  the  barren  little  room  on 
the  ground  floor,  which  had  been  assigned  to  her. 
"Thank  God!  His  mercy  seems  to  envelop 
and  protect  me.  I  am  here,  safe,  at  last." 


224 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

AT  daylight  the  next  morning  Muriel  awoke 
from  a  troubled  sleep.  She  had  laid  down  on  her 
cot  without  undressing,  worn  in  mind  and  body  by 
the  incidents  of  the  day,  but  the  few  hours  of  rest 
had  refreshed  her  somewhat.  It  was  a  glorious 
morning.  As  she  threw  open  the  shutters  of  her 
room,  the  fresh  air  greeted  her  with  a  rush  that 
tingled  every  nerve  in  her  body,  and  the  brilliant 
sunrise  furnished  an  inspiration  as  it  reflected  on 
the  beautiful  hills  in  the  distance.  Early  as  it 
was,  when  she  opened  the  door  of  her  room  she 
found  the  faithful  Kooste  awaiting  her.  "  I  am 
ready,"  she  said,  responding  to  his  formal  greeting 
by  extending  her  hand  to  emphasize  her  confidence. 

" Have  you  had  breakfast?  "  he  asked. 

"  Breakfast  ?  "  she  repeated.  "  That  is  the  far 
thest  thing  from  my  thoughts." 

"  Ah,  but  you  must  think  of  it,"  he  said.     "  You 

cannot  work  unless  you  eat ;  and  the  duty  to  which 

225 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

you  have  called  yourself  will  be  a  severe  strain  on 
your  nerves  without  unnecessarily  adding  to  it. 
You  must  have  a  cup  of  coffee  at  least,"  he  con 
tinued,  and  he  immediately  set  about  seeing  that 
this  nourishment,  together  with  an  egg  and  a  little 
toast,  was  supplied  her.  She  felt  that  his  advice 
was  good,  and  she  adopted  his  suggestion  by  par 
taking  with  a  relish  which  surprised  her. 

Immediately  after  breakfast  he  led  the  way  to 
the  improvised  hospital.  She  found  that  there  was 
no  regular  institution  of  that  character  in  the  town, 
and  the  best  that  could  be  done  was  to  fit  up,  as 
well  as  they  could  with  their  limited  means,  a  drap 
er's  shop  in  a  large  brick  building.  Here  some  of 
the  wounded  were  already  lying  on  mattresses  on 
the  floor,  while  others  were  being  brought  in  as 
rapidly  as  possible  from  the  battlefield.  The  scene 
was  a  terrible  one ;  but  she  had  in  a  measure  for 
tified  her  nerves  by  previously  picturing  the  con 
dition  of  affairs  she  expected  to  meet,  and  in  this 
way  lessening  the  shock  of  the  actual  contact.  Two 
surgeons  were  busily  at  work,  and  a  few  of  the 
townswomen  were  endeavoring  to  assist  so  far  as 

it  was  possible  for  them  to  be  of  assistance. 
226 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  Have  you  no  cots  here  ?  "  asked  Muriel  as  soon 
as  she  had  divested  herself  of  her  hat  and  outer 
clothing  and  had  arrayed  herself  in  a  garment  of 
light  seersucker  cloth. 

"  I  think  there  are  some  in  the  town,"  replied 
Kooste.  "  Do  you  want  some  ? " 

"Yes;  it  will  be  more  comfortable  for  these 
poor  fellows,  and  more  easy  for  us  to  attend  to 
them." 

The  cots  were  promptly  brought,  the  mattresses 
transferred  to  them,  and  then  the  wounded  men  were 
laid  on  the  mattresses.  Those  who  were  conscious 
of  the  change  which  was  being  made  expressed 
their  gratitude  by  their  eyes.  Some  of  them  were 
so  badly  wounded  as  to  be  apparently  dead. 
Others  were  in  a  delirium,  calling  for  this  one  or 
that  one,  or  shrieking  again  oaths,  orders,  or  com 
mands,  as  in  their  imagination  they  once  more 
fought  the  battle  of  the  previous  days.  Those  who 
were  only  slightly  wounded  maintained  a  stoical 
silence.  There  were  thirty-four  Englishmen  in 
the  hospital  and  about  half  a  dozen  Boers.  But 
no  distinction  was  made  between  the  late  com 
batants,  and  they  were  arranged  side  by  side  in 
227 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

the  order  in  which  they  came  to  the  hospital. 
One  or  two  of  the  English  officers,  because  of 
their  rank,  were  placed  in  little  enclosures  near 
the  window. 

There  were  many  things  needed  to  make  the  bar 
ren  storehouse  at  all  comfortable  as  a  hospital. 
The  details  of  this  transformation  the  two  sur 
geons  in  attendance  were  glad  to  leave  entirely  in 
Muriel's  hands.  Dr.  Decker  and  Dr.  Viljoen  were 
employed  to  the  extent  of  their  ability  in  treating 
the  wounded,  and  had  no  time  to  give  to  the  per 
fection  of  minor  shortcomings.  The  business-like 
way  in  which  Muriel  obtained  and  arranged  the 
cots  made  a  strong  impression  on  them,  and  when 
she  called  for  slates  to  tie  at  the  head  of  each  pa 
tient's  cot,  for  the  purpose  of  recording  thereon 
their  names,  residences,  and  the  fluctuations  of 
pulse  and  temperature,  they  saw  that  she  was  en 
tirely  capable  of  assuming  the  responsibility  they 
were  glad  to  resign  to  her.  Kooste  was  an  invalu 
able  lieutenant.  He  was  constantly  at  her  elbow, 
ready  to  comply  with  her  slightest  request.  If  the 
resources  of  the  little  town  could  not  provide  linen 

and  delicacies  for  the  patients,  he  was  only  too  glad 
228 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

to  make  expeditions  to  Johannesburg  in  order  to 
obtain  them.  The  "  commandeering  "  process  was 
executed  with  a  rapidity  which  would  have  startled 
an  army  commissary.  Whatever  she  required,  she 
had  only  to  make  the  suggestion  to  Kooste,  and 
it  was  immediately  supplied.  There  were  many 
things  needed — curtains  for  some  of  the  windows, 
draperies,  cots,  mattresses,  linen,  and  rubber 
sheeting,  and  various  little  delicacies  to  tempt 
the  appetite  of  the  wounded  during  convalesence. 
It  was  a  great  pleasure  for  her  to  supply  these. 
Two  or  three  trained  nurses  had  been  obtained  to 
assist  her  in  the  work,  and  their  first  task  was 
that  of  recording  on  the  slates  the  names  and  resi 
dences  of  the  patients.  It  was  a  matter  of  consid 
erable  difficulty  to  obtain  some  data,  and  several 
of  the  slates  had  to  be  left  blank  because  of  the 
feverish  or  unconscious  condition  of  the  sufferers. 
So  far  as  it  was  possible,  the  names  of  these  un 
conscious  ones  were  obtained  from  some  of  the 
other  patients  who  knew  them.  But  it  happened 
that  in  several  cases  it  was  impossible  to  obtain 
this  information  from  the  others,  for  the  reason 

that  the  men  had  been  recruited  from  different 
229 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

sections  of  the  country  and  were  not  all  intimately 
acquainted  with  each  other. 

There  were  some  who  never  again  in  this  world 
were  able  to  respond  to  their  names.  The  wounds 
they  had  received  produced  a  blissful  unconscious 
ness  which  rendered  them  oblivious  to  their  suf 
ferings,  and  which  finally  ended  in  that  long  sleep 
that  knows  no  awakening.  Muriel  tenderly  closed 
the  eyes  of  these,  her  countrymen,  and  paid  to 
their  memory  the  tribute  of  a  woman's  tears. 
She  knew  that  far  across  the  seas  fond  hearts  were 
aching  for  them,  and  her  own  throbbed  in  ready 
sympathy.  She  assisted  in  preparing  their  names 
so  far  as  she  could  ascertain  them,  and  then  saw 
that  they  were  duly  transmitted  to  the  cable  office. 

And  Jack !  From  the  moment  she  reached  the 
hospital  he  had  been  uppermost  in  her  thoughts, 
and  as  each  wounded  trooper  was  brought  in  she 
scanned  him  closely  to  see  if  by  any  possibility  he 
could  be  the  original  of  the  picture  which  was  al 
ways  in  her  mind ;  but  her  quest  was  a  disappoint 
ing  one.  None  of  the  men  looked  like  him ;  none 
of  them  answered  to  his  name,  and,  so  far  as  she 

could  learn  from  inquiries  directed  to  the  conscious 
230 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

patients,  he  was  not  known  to  have  been  with  the 
the  troopers.  He  might  have  been  taken  prisoner 
or  have  escaped,  she  was  informed,  and  that  fur 
nished  her  a  little  consolation,  until  she  told  her 
self  that  it  was  possible  he  was  not  connected  with 
the  raid  at  all.  The  fact  that  she  could  learn  noth 
ing  concerning  him  did  not  lessen  her  ardor  in  be 
half  of  the  others  at  the  hospital.  If  he  was  dear 
to  her  heart,  the  others  also  claimed  a  share  of  her 
affection  by  all  the  ties  of  blood  and  kindred,  and 
she  worked  in  their  behalf  just  as  she  hoped  some 
body  else  might  have  worked  in  her  place  had  Jack 
been  one  of  the  sufferers.  There  was  one  incident 
in  which  her  woman's  heart  assisted  in  re-uniting 
two  lovers  who  had  parted  because  of  a  misunder 
standing  somewhat  similar  to  her  own  case.  One 
of  her  patients  was  a  Boer — a  tall,  strapping  young 
fellow,  evidently  fresh  from  a  farm.  He  had  been 
shot  through  the  body,  and  she  supposed  that  his 
mutterings  were  the  consequences  of  the  resultant 
fever.  As  she  placed  her  hand  on  his  forehead, 
however,  she  noticed  that  his  brow  was  cool,  and 
also  that  pulse  and  temperature  were  but  little 

above  the  normal. 

231 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"Nurse,"  said  he,  calling  her  as  she  went  by  his 
cot,  "  would  you  do  me  a  great  favor  ?  "  He  spoke 
clearly,  but  with  a  slight  Dutch  accent. 

"  Most  certainly.     What  is  it  ?  " 

"I  want  to  write  to  Peggy." 

"  To  whom  ?  "  she  asked  in  surprise. 

"To  Peggy.  Peggy  is  my  sweetheart,  you 
know,"  he  continued,  as  if  that  fact  must  have 
been  patent  to  her.  "We  quarrelled,  and  I  left 
her.  Now  I  know  she  is  breaking  her  heart,  and 
perhaps  thinking  me  dead,  and  I  want  to  let  her 
know  that  I  am  here  and  wounded,  but  alive,  and 
that  I  would  like  to  see  her." 

So  to  Peggy  she  wrote  the  rough  love  letter 
which  he  dictated,  and  posted  it  without  delay. 
What  was  her  gratification  to  receive  in  a  few 
days  a  reply  to  this  letter,  followed  shortly  after 
ward  by  the  appearance  of  Peggy  herself.  Her 
full  name  was  Peggy  O'Reilly,  and  she  was  evi 
dently  the  descendant  of  some  Irishman  who  had 
emigrated  to  the  country  and  intermarried  with 
the  Dutch.  The  gratitude  of  this  young  couple  at 
the  reconciliation  which  Muriel  was  instrumental 

in  effecting  was  not  greater  than  her  own  happi- 

232 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

ness  in  being  a  party  to  it.  This  was  but  one  of 
many  little  incidents  which  came  under  her  obser 
vation  in  the  hospital. 

"  I  met  an  old  school  friend  down  there  on  the 
battlefield,"  said  one  young  Englishman,  address 
ing  his  comrade  on  the  next  bed.  "  I  hadn't  seen 
him  for  five  years  before.  He  went  to  college 
with  me  in  old  England,  and  we  were  great  friends. 
Since  he  came  back  home  I  lost  track  of  him.  Out 
there  at  Vlakfontein  I  had  my  gun  levelled  at  a 
fellow  who  was  pointing  his  rifle  at  me.  It  was  a 
case  of  seeing  who  could  shoot  first,  and  I  was  just 
about  to  pull  the  trigger  of  my  rifle  when  I  recog 
nized  my  little  Dutch  school  friend.  He  rec 
ognized  me  at  the  same  moment,  and,  running  over 
to  where  I  was,  embraced  me  instead  of  boring  me 
through  with  a  rifle  shot.  As  he  came  toward  me 
a  shot  from  some  other  fellow's  rifle  gave  me  this 
jab  here  in  my  shoulder,  and  I  fell.  He  picked 
me  up,  turned  me  over  to  some  of  my  own  com 
rades,  and  then  ran  back  to  his  own  lines.  Wasn't 
that  a  strange  meeting?  " 

"Yes;  some  of  these  Boers  are  not  half  bad," 
responded  the  other.  "They're  a  damned  sight 
233 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

better  than  some  of  those  cowardly  Outlanders  who 
asked  us  to  come  and  help  them  and  then  let  us  be 
cut  to  pieces  in  a  hole  without  attempting  to  give 
us  any  assistance." 

Then  he  went  off  into  a  string  of  objurgations, 
in  which  he  was  liberally  joined  by  some  of  his 
comrades. 

"  Wonder  what  they'll  do  with  us  ?  "  asked  an 
other  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  room. 

"  Give  it  up,"  was  the  careless  response.  "  I'm 
not  going  to  worry  myself  on  that  score ;  I  think 
it'll  be  just  about  as  well  for  us  if  the  doctors 
would  let  us  go  under.  If  the  boot  were  on  the 
other  leg,  and  they  tried  to  go  through  our  country 
in  this  fashion,  I  fancy  we'd  give  them  about 
enough  time  to  say  their  prayers  and  then  stand 
them  up  in  a  line  with  their  eyes  blindfolded 
and " 

The  speaker  finished  his  sentence  by  making  a 
suggestive  clucking  noise  with  his  tongue  and  a 
motion  with  his  finger  as  if  pulling  a  trigger  of  a 
rifle. 


234 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

IT  was  midnight  in  the  little  hospital.  Muriel 
had  finished  her  duties  of  applying  fresh  dressings, 
administering  medicine  and  arranging  the  beds  of 
the  patients  with  one  of  the  doctors,  and  had 
seated  herself  at  the  table  in  the  centre  of  the 
large  room,  which  served  as  a  general  hospital 
ward,  to  complete  her  period  of  watch  duty.  She 
felt  highly  gratified  at  the  result  of  her  efforts  in 
behalf  of  the  wounded,  particularly  so  in  view  of 
the  compliment  which  Dr.  Decker  had  just  paid 
her.  He  had  left  his  surgical  instruments,  a  glit 
tering  array  of  forbidding  steel  knives  and  saws, 
lying  on  a  little  table  in  the  ward,  and  she  had  sug 
gested  that  she  place  them  somewhere  out  of  the 
sight  of  the  patients. 

"  Now,  how  did  you  happen  to  think  of  that  ? " 
he  asked,  stopping  in  his  work  and  looking  at  her 
with  a  smile. 

"  Why,  I  simply  thought  it  might  not  be  pleas- 
235 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

ant  for  some  poor  fellow  to  awake  and  see  those 
horrible  things,  which  perhaps  had  just  taken  off 
an  arm  or  a  leg,  staring  at  him." 

"You  say  you've  never  been  a  nurse?"  he 
queried. 

"  Never,"  she  replied. 

"  Then  will  you  tell  me  where  you  learned  so 
well  the  duties  of  a  nurse?  "  he  asked.  "I  have 
been  admiring  your  work  ever  since  you  came  here. 
I  really  don't  see  how  we  could  have  got  along 
without  you.  You  seem  to  know  exactly  what 
ought  to  be  done  and  exactly  how  to  do  it.  It 
is  almost  impossible  to  believe  that  you  have  not 
trained  yourself  for  that  profession.  You  have 
been  at  our  side  even  on  some  of  the  most  severe 
operations.  The  ordinary  woman  would  not  have 
been  able  to  stand  it,  and  I  must  say  that,  without 
flattering  you  at  all,  you  are  a  most  extraordinary 
woman.  I  am  sure  you  deserve  the  thanks,  not 
alone  of  the  patients,  but  of  the  doctors,  as  well. " 

"  Oh,  I  have  done  very  little,"  she  modestly  an 
swered;  "very  little,  indeed,  in  comparison  with 
what  I  would  like  to  have  been  able  to  do.  It  is 

true  that  I  have  never  trained  myself  for  the  pro 
236 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

fession  of  nursing,  but  I  have  been  greatly  inter 
ested  in  philanthropic  hospital  work,  and  many 
times,  while  visiting  such  institutions  with  my 
mother,  I  have  been  interested  to  note  the  manner 
in  which  the  nurses  work.  Perhaps  in  that  way  I 
have  learned  something  by  unconscious  observa 
tion." 

"  Conscious  or  unconscious,  you  must  have  used 
your  eyes  to  very  good  advantage.  Well,"  he 
added,  "  I  think  I  may  safely  leave  the  place  in 
your  care  now  and  try  and  get  a  little  sleep.  If 
you  need  me  during  the  night,  don't  hesitate  to 
call  me.  Good  night !  " 

"Good  night!  "  she  replied,  and  then,  left  alone 
in  charge  of  the  room,  she  resumed  her  book.  The 
title  of  it  was  a  peculiar  one — for  her.  Instead  of 
a  French  novel,  which  had  hitherto  formed  the 
piece  de  resistance  of  her  literary  diet,  it  was  a 
plain,  black  volume,  on  whose  flexible  cover  was 
printed  in  gold  letters  the  words,  "  Holy  Bible. " 
A  few  months  before  that  book  would  have  had  lit 
tle  interest  for  her,  but  the  curious  transformation 
of  events  connected  with  her  life  had  worked  a 

curious  transformation  in  herself.      It  seemed  as  if 
237 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

years  had  passed  since  she  left  England,  so  rapidly 
had  one  exciting  incident  followed  on  the  heels  of 
another.  From  a  frivolous  girl,  devoted  entirely 
to  her  own  selfish  enjoyment,  she  had  suddenly 
evolved  into  a  woman,  who,  by  serious  contact  with 
life,  had  become  impressed  with  its  grave  responsi 
bilities.  Because  of  this  transformation  she  was 
able  to  find  a  fascination  and  a  comfort  in  the  little 
Bible  which  had  been  presented  to  her  by  her 
mother,  but  which,  until  her  arrival  in  Johannes 
burg,  had  been  sadly  neglected  in  an  obscure  cor 
ner  of  her  trunk. 

A  heavily  shaded  lamp  protected  the  sleeping 
patients  from  the  annoying  glare  of  the  light,  and 
still  furnished  her  with  opportunities  for  enjoying 
her  book.  Outside  there  was  no  noise  except  the 
occasional  murmur  of  the  winds.  The  town  was 
wrapped  in  sleep  and  darkness.  Within  the  hos 
pital  the  silence  was  so  intense  that  the  ticking  of 
the  little  alarm  clock  in  front  of  her  sounded  to 
her  almost  as  loud  as  the  tones  of  St.  Paul's  bells. 
Occasionally  a  patient  would  groan  as  a  fresh  dart  of 
pain  racked  his  body  or  as  he  disturbed  a  bandaged 
wound  by  turning  into  a  fresh  position  on  his  cot. 

338 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

Once  in  awhile  there  would  be  a  gentle  call  of 
"  Nurse ! "  followed  by  a  request  for  a  drink  of 
water,  or  that  the  pillow  might  be  softened,  or 
some  other  little  favor ;  but  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  time  she  was  permitted  to  bury  herself  in  the 
book. 

"  Muriel !     Muriel !  " 

She  sat  bolt  upright  at  the  sound  and  clinched 
her  hands  in  the  intensity  of  her  emotion.  "  What 
was  that  ?  "  she  asked  herself.  It  was  low,  and 
long  drawn  out,  and  seemed  to  be  more  like  a  gasp 
than  an  articulate  tone.  A  murmur  of  the  wind 
reassured  her. 

"  What  a  child  I  am !  "  she  said,  half  aloud,  re 
suming  her  seat.  "  It  was  nothing  but  the  wind 
whistling  round  the  corner.  I  am  letting  my  fan 
cies  run  away  with  me." 

"Muriel!" 

Again  it  seemed  to  come,  less  distinct  even  than 
before.  She  felt  that  she  could  hardly  believe  her 
ears,  but  the  impression  on  her  mind  was  so  strong 
that  she  walked  through  the  ward  to  see  if  some 
poor  fellow  was  not  calling  in  his  sleep ;  but  no 
one  seemed  to  be  stirring.  One  or  two  were  lying 
239 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

wide  awake,  staring  at  the  wall,  but  they  said  they 
had  not  called,  and  that  they  had  heard  no  call. 
A  movement  on  the  part  of  a  patient  in  the  farther 
end  of  the  room  attracted  her  attention,  and  she 
proceeded  in  this  direction. 

"  It  must  be  this  poor  fellow,"  she  said  sympa 
thetically.  "  I'll  see  if  there  is  anything  I  can  do 
for  him.  The  doctors  say  he  is  very  badly  wounded 
and  that  there  are  grave  fears  for  his  recovery. " 

The  patient  in  question  was  one  of  the  English 
men.  A  shot  had  gone  clear  through  his  body. 
"  A  couple  of  inches  to  one  side,  and  it  would  have 
gone  through  his  heart,"  the  doctor  said.  The 
wound  had  become  inflamed  as  a  consequence  of 
long  inattention  on  the  field,  and  by  the  time  the 
victim  reached  the  hospital  a  high  fever  had  set  in. 
He  raved  over  and  over  again  about  the  exciting 
scenes  of  the  fight,  but  nothing  could  be  learned 
from  him  or  from  the  other  patients  regarding  his 
identity.  When  Muriel  reached  his  side,  she  found 
him  muttering  to  himself ;  but  only  a  word  here 
and  there  was  distinguishable,  and  these  words 
formed  nothing  that  could  give  her  a  coherent  idea 

of  their  purport. 

240 


A  TALE  OP  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  Poor  fellow !  "  she  said  softly,  as  she  arranged 
his  pillow  and  tenderly  brushed  back  his  hair 
from  his  moist  forehead.  The  wounded  man 
stirred  uneasily,  and  again  there  came  to  her 
ears  that  long,  low,  drawn-out,  gasping  ejacula 
tion,  "  Muriel ! " 

She  started  back  in  astonishment.  Could  it  be 
Jack  ?  she  asked  herself.  But  no,  that  was  not  Jack. 
In  the  first  place,  he  looked  taller  than  Jack.  His 
face  was  thinner  than  Jack's.  He  had  a  full  growth 
of  tawny  whiskers,  while  Jack  was  beardless ;  and 
his  voice — no,  that  voice  was  not  Jack's.  Long 
and  earnestly  she  looked  at  him,  and  then  slowly 
shook  her  head,  as  if  to  confirm  the  denial  of  his 
identity.  But  the  name?  Had  she  heard  cor 
rectly,  or  was  it  simply  a  coincidence  that  the 
name  he  had  called  was  her  own  ?  As  she  stood 
there  smoothing  his  hair,  he  again  moved  rest 
lessly  on  his  pillow,  and,  as  he  did  so,  something 
fell  to  the  floor.  She  picked  it  up,  and  was  about 
to  replace  it  when  a  peculiarity  of  the  article  at 
tracted  her  attention.  It  was  apparently  a  small 
photograph,  set  in  a  little  case.  She  glanced  at  it 

as  she  was  about  to  return  it  to  its  place  under  the 
241 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

wounded  man's  pillow,  and  the  next  instant  she 
was  on  her  knees  by  his  bedside. 

"  Jack !  Oh,  Jack !  Thank  God,  I  have  found 
you  at  last !  " 

Gone  was  the  self-control  of  the  nurse.  The 
heart  of  the  woman  was  in  the  ascendant,  and,  re 
gardless  of  the  surroundings  and  of  the  quiet  de 
sired  by  the  other  patients,  she  poured  out  the 
thanksgiving  of  a  joyful  soul  in  a  tone  which  pene 
trated  every  corner  of  the  room.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  intensity  of  her  voice  penetrated  even  to  the 
deepest  consciousness  of  the  feverish  patient,  for,  as 
she  cried  out,  he  moved  as  if  animated  by  some  sud 
den  shock  and  rested  on  his  elbow  while  he  stared 
at  her  with  his  large  and  feverishly  brilliant  eyes. 

"  Muriel,"  he  said,  and  his  voice  was  tremulous 
with  great  joy.  Then  he  gazed  from  her  to  the 
wall  of  the  semi-darkened  hospital  and  asked : 
"  Where  am  I  ?  " 

"  Hush,  dear,"  said  Muriel,  throwing  her  arms 
around  his  neck  and  endeavoring  to  restore  him  to 
his  previous  reclining  position.  "  Hush  !  You  must 
not  excite  yourself.  You  have  been  wounded,  and 

you  are  now  in  the  hospital  at  Krugersdorp." 
242 


A  TALE   OF  THE   AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  Krugersdorp  ?  "  he  asked  stupidly.  "  Ah,  yes, 
now  I  remember !  "  he  added,  a  smile  coming  out 
on  his  face.  "  There  was  a  fight  with  the  Boers, 
and  I  was  wounded ;  but  why  are  you  here  ?  " 

"Because  you  are  here,  dear." 

"But  I  left  you  in  England,"  he  said,  his  brow 
wrinkling,  as  if  unable  to  make  that  fact  agree 
with  the  fact  of  her  presence  by  his  bedside. 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  she  said,  "  but  when  I  received 
your  letter  I  determined  that  I  would  try  and  find 
you  here  and  in  some  way  let  you  know  that  the 
surmises  you  entertain  were  entirely  incorrect; 
and,  oh,  God  has  been  so  good  to  me,  Jack ! " 

"And  to  me,  too,"  he  said  softly.  "When  I 
reached  this  country  I  was  the  most  miserable  fel 
low  on  earth.  Now  I  am  the  happiest.  It  was 
worth  going  through  it  all  to  have  you  here — the 
ride  and  the  fight.  Oh,  Muriel,  that  ride  and  that 
fight !  They  came  on  us  from  all  sides.  Some  of 
the  boys  are  dead,  and  more  of  them  are  dying. 
Oh,  it  was  terrible !  " 

"  Hush,  dear !  You  must  neither  think  nor  talk 
of  it  now.  You  must  go  to  sleep  and  not  excite 
yourself  any  more.  If  you  keep  on  talking,  you 
243 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

will  bring  on  the  fever  again,  and  that  might  be 
fatal." 

*  But  talk  he  would.  His  lucid  period  was  but 
a  temporary  one,  and,  as  the  excitement  of  the 
fight  again  recurred  to  him,  he  lapsed  into  another 
period  of  aberration. 

"Muriel!"  he  whispered,  "I'm  slipping  away 
from  you  again.  Here,  take  my  hand.  Oh,  you're 
so  far  off.  Muriel !"  and  with  one  last  effort  he  ex 
tended  his  hand,  which  she  grasped  in  her  own 
and  covered  with  kisses.  Then  he  raved  for  hours 
over  the  incidents  of  the  past  few  months  of  his 
career.  Now  he  was  directing  Pat,  or  asking  advice 
from  Harrington,  or  repeating  the  reminiscences 
of  the  troopers,  or  he  was  riding  with  them  in  the 
midst  of  the  fray. 

The  night  had  passed  and  dawn  appeared,  but 
still  the  kneeling  figure  by  his  bedside  held  his 
hand,  and  in  her  thanksgiving  for  his  recovery  min 
gled  many  a  heartfelt  prayer  that  he  might  be 
spared  from  the  immediate  dangers  that  threat 
ened  him.  The  other  patients  stared  at  her  with 
curious  eyes,  and  when  the  doctor  arrived  for  his 

morning  visit,  called  his  attention  to  her,  and  re- 
244 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

lated  the  circumstances  so  far  as  they  understood 
them.  He  touched  her  on  the  shoulder  and  called 
her  from  the  devotion  into  which  she  had  com 
pletely  buried  herself. 

"This  will  not  do,  Miss  Sterling,"  he  said. 
"  You  must  not  stay  here. " 

"  But,  oh,  doctor,  I  have  found " 

"Yes,  yes,  I  know,"  he  interrupted;  "but  you 
may  have  found  him  only  to  lose  him,  unless  you 
realize  that  this  is  the  beginning  of  his  danger, 
rather  than  the  end  of  it.  He  will  need  your  best 
care  for  weeks.  With  that  it  may  be  possible  to 
pull  him  through.  But  if  you  are  to  give  him  that 
care  you  must  compose  yourself  and  maintain  your 
steadiest  nerve,  and  that  is  impossible  unless  you 
eat  and  sleep.  Now,  go  to  your  room  and  rest.  I 
will  need  your  assistance,  and  I  want  to  be  able  to 
command  it  at  its  best  when  I  call  on  you. " 

With  a  gentle  hand  he  pushed  her  from  the  room, 
after  she  had  given  the  raving  patient  a  parting 
kiss,  and  then,  as  a  counterbalance  to  the  excite 
ment  of  the  night,  she  fell  into  a  deep  sleep,  in 
which  her  future  and  that  of  Jack  was  intertwined 
in  the  most  roseate  colors. 
245 


CHAPTER   XX. 

MURIEL'S  first  duty,  when  she  awoke  that  after 
noon,  was  to  dispatch  Kooste  to  Johannesburg  with 
two  cablegrams.  The  first  was  to  Lady  Stan- 
more.  She  could  not  contain  herself  to  wait  to 
write  to  her  good  friend,  and  this  is  what  the 
latter  read,  a  few  hours  later :  "  Have  found  Jack. 
Letter." 

The  second  cablegram  was  to  Jack's  mother. 
She  pictured  to  herself  the  anxiety  of  the  members 
of  his  family,  knowing,  possibly,  that  he  was  with 
the  troopers,  and  probably  fearing  the  worst.  It 
was  a  simple  statement  to  the  effect  that  he  had 
been  wounded,  but  was  all  right,  and  was  signed 
with  his  own  name. 

These  two  messages  brought  unexpected  joy  in 
both  quarters.  Lady  Stanmore  danced  with  de 
light,  and  hurried  to  tell  the  other  members  of 
the  party  the  news.  Then  she  plunged  herself 

into  dismay  in  speculating  as  to  how  Muriel  found 
246 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

him,  where  she  found  him,  and  various  other  ques 
tions  which  the  cablegram  did  not  answer. 

"  She  must  have  found  him  there  in  that  hos 
pital,  wherever  it  was,"  she  announced  with  deci 
sion,  after  propounding  these  questions  to  herself 
for  the  fortieth  time.  "  It  was  her  determination 
to  work  as  a  nurse,  and  I'll  wager  that  is  just  how 
it  all  came  about." 

"  How  romantic !  "  shrieked  Miss  St.  John  in  a 
perfect  ecstacy  of  delight.  "  Oh,  I'd  give  the  world 
to  be  in  her  place !" 

"  You  would  ?  I  thought  you  said  you'd  faint  at 
the  very  sight  of  blood." 

"  Oh,  so  I  would !  I  wouldn't  like  the  blood ; 
but  isn't  the  rest  of  it  perfectly  lovely?" 

"  It  certainly  is,"  replied  Lady  Stanmore,  smil 
ing  at  the  dispatch  which  she  held  in  her  hand. 
" '  Letter,'  "  she  read.  "That  means  that  she  is 
going  to  write  m  3  full  particulars.  Oh,  how  I  wish 
that  letter  would  come !  I  am  so  glad  for  that 
poor  girl  that  I  feel  like  standing  on  my  head. 
Well,  I  suppose  we  will  have  to  be  patient  and 
wait  until  the  mail  comes,  but  when  the  letter 

arrives  I  will  let  you  girls  know  at  once. " 
247 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"  Oh,  do ! "  they  entreated,  as  they  took  their 
departure. 

Meanwhile  a  highly  different  scene  was  being 
enacted  at  Jack's  home.  A  message  had  been  re 
ceived  that  he  was  dead,  and  this  news,  coupled 
with  the  recent  death  of  his  brother,  was  a  terri 
ble  shock  to  his  mother  and  sister,  who  were  the 
only  survivors  of  the  family. 

His  mother  accused  herself  of  all  manner 
of  heartlessness  in  permitting  him  to  go  to 
that  far-away  country,  and  his  sister  felt  that 
she,  too,  had  been  to  blame  for  not  urging  him 
to  remain  at  home.  Now  they  were  left  alone, 
and,  according  to  the  law,  the  entail  of  the 
estates  must  descend  to  another  branch  of  the 
family. 

They  had  cabled  to  have  his  body  sent  home,  if 
possible ;  but  they  had  been  informed  that  such  a 
proceeding  was  hardly  to  be  expected.  A  soldier 
falling  in  battle  and  buried  by  the  Boers  was  not 
to  be  easily  recovered,  and  they  never  expected  to 
be  able  to  gaze  upon  his  face  again,  or  even  to 
have  the  mournful  privilege  of  placing  him  beside 

his  ancestors.     In  lieu  of  this,  they  had  arranged 
248 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

a  memorial  service  in  the  little  chapel,  and  this 
was  in  progress. 

The  clergyman  was  giving  them  what  comfort 
he  could  with  the  consoling  words :  "  I  am  the 
resurrection  and  the  life,"  and  with  the  immortal 
paradox,  "He  that  believeth  in  me,  though  dead, 
shall  never  die."  Their  tears  were  falling  fast 
when  the  old  butler  was  summoned  to  the  door  to 
meet  a  boy  from  the  telegraph  office.  He  appeared 
to  be  unduly  excited  over  his  errand  as  he  handed 
the  envelope  to  the  butler.  It  was  addressed  to 
Jack's  mother,  and  the  butler  put  it  in  his  pocket, 
to  await  a  more  favorable  opportunity  of  presenting 
it. 

"  The  manager  said  it  was  very  important,"  the 
boy  added,  "  and  he  told  me  to  say  that  it  was  from 
South  Africa." 

"From  South  Africa ?"  echoed  the  astonished 
factotum. 

"  Yes,  and  it's  about  Master  John,"  was  the  lad's 
breathless  response.  He  had  evidently  been  in 
formed  of  the  contents.  It  was  now  the  old  butler's 
turn  to  become  excited.  He  did  not  know  what  to 
do.  His  first  thought  was  to  hold  the  message 
249 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

until  the  service  had  been  concluded,  but  the  in 
tuition  he  felt  as  to  its  contents  would  not  permit 
him  to  delay. 

Instead  of  so  doing,  he  summoned  one  of 
the  nearest  relatives  of  the  family  to  the  door 
and  explained  to  him  what  the  messenger  had 
said. 

"Open  it  and  see,"  commanded  the  latter. 
"  I'll  explain  to  Lady  Derrington." 

With  trembling  hands  the  old  man  broke  the 
seal  and  read.  Then,  with  eyes  filled  with  tears, 
he  passed  the  paper  to  the  other,  who  glanced  at 
the  inscription :  "  Am  wounded,  but  safe  in  hos 
pital  Krugersdorp.  Don't  worry." 

"  It's  signed  by  Jack,  too,"  he  added,  and,  with 
out  further  delay,  he  proceeded  down  the  aisle 
to  where  Lady  Derrington  was  seated  and  placed 
the  paper  in  her  hands.  She  uttered  a  slight 
scream  as  she  read  the  message,  and  then  fell  for 
ward  in  a  faint.  This  attracted  the  attention  of 
all  present,  and  several  ran  to  her  assistance.  It 
took  but  a  moment  to  revive  her,  when  she  ex 
plained  the  cause  of  her  excitement. 

"  Jack  is  alive.     My  dear  boy  is  wounded,  but 
250 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

safe.  He  has  sent  this  message  himself.  O 
God,  I  thank  Thee ! "  she  cried,  throwing  herself 
on  her  knees. 

This  incident  completely  disturbed  the  funeral 
service.  The  clergyman  paused  in  dismay  at  the 
sudden  interruption,  and  the  hitherto  mourning 
relatives  gave  way  to  a  jubilation  entirely  out  of 
harmony  with  the  surroundings. 

"Jack  alive!"  they  cried  in  astonishment. 
"Then  we  will  not  go  on  with  the  service." 

"  Yes,  yes,  let  us  go  on,"  protested  Lady  Der- 
rington,  "  but  instead  of  a  funeral  memorial  serv 
ice,  let  us  change  it  to  one  of  praise  and  thanks 
giving  for  the  safety  of  the  dear  one  who  we  hope 
will  soon  return  to  us." 

And  that  is  exactly  what  they  did.  He  who  a 
few  moments  before  had  been  mourned  for  as 
dead,  was  rejoiced  over  as  if  he  had  been  mirac 
ulously  resurrected.  The  clergyman  was  in 
formed  of  the  contents  of  the  message,  and 
gave  out  several  hymns,  which  were  sung  with 
an  emotion  which  crowded  all  gloomy  thoughts 
away  and  left  his  little  congregation  in  a  fervor  of 

delight. 

251 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

This  delight  was  shared,  not  only  by  them 
selves,  but  by  the  entire  country  as  well. 
Even  the  Queen  sent  her  congratulations,  and 
the  story  was  told  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land. 


252 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

MEANWHILE  Jack  was  fighting  a  hard  battle  with 
death.  His  wound  was  a  very  severe  one  and  the 
fever  made  tremendous  encroaches  upon  his  vital 
ity.  Luckily  for  him  this  had  not  been  impaired 
during  his  residence  in  Africa,  and  the  steady  life 
of  his  younger  days  formed  a  barricade  which 
Death  vainly  tried  to  storm.  It  was  a  fortnight 
later  before  he  fully  recovered  consciousness  and 
was  declared  out  of  danger.  The  image  of  Muriel 
had  been  constantly  with  him  during  his  delirium, 
but  it  was  with  surprise  that  he  again  awoke  and 
found  her  kneeling  by  his  side  and  holding  his 
hand,  just  as  she  had  held  it  when  he  last  greeted 
her. 

"  Muriel !  "  he  feebly  cried. 

"  Yes,  Jack." 

"  Oh,  I  am  so  glad  that  you  are  here !  I've  had 
such  a  frightful  dream." 

"  There,  dear,  don't  let  dreams  worry  you  any 
253 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

more.  I  am  here,  and  you  are  safe.  Now  quiet 
yourself  and  in  a  few  days  more  you  will  be  able 
to  leave  the  hospital.  The  doctor  has  told  me  so." 

"  I'm  not  complaining.  On  the  contrary,  I  am 
supremely  happy.  But  I  have  been  living  again 
those  dreadful  months,  and  my  dreams  have  wor 
ried  me;  I  thought  we  were  separated  forever." 

"  Never  again,  let  us  hope,  dear." 

"I've  forgotten  my  prayers,  but  I'll  say  'Amen ! ' 
to  that,"  he  replied,  with  a  feeble  smile.  "  Oh, 
Muriel,  I  am  so  happy,  except  when  I  think  of  the 
past !  And  now,  when  I  have  you  with  me,  I  feel 
that  I  am  doubly  compensated  for  all  my  troubles. 
I  wonder  where  Pat  is?  " 

"Pat?" 

"  Yes,  my  servant.  Dear  old  Pat !  I  wonder  if 
he  was  killed  ?  He's  not  here,  is  he  ?  Pat  O'Hara 
is  his  name.  He  stuck  to  me  like  a  brother.  Did 
you  notice  his  name  here?  "  he  asked,  raising  him 
self  on  his  elbow  and  anxiously  scrutinizing  the 
other  cots  in  the  place. 

"No,  there  is  no  such  name  here,"  answered 
Muriel. 

"  Poor  Pat ! "  he  whispered.  "  He  was  with  me 
254 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

always.  He  wouldn't  let  me  leave  him  in  Eng 
land,  and  when  I  started  off  to  join  the  troopers 
he  insisted  on  accompanying  me.  The  last  thing 
I  remember  was  falling  from  my  horse  and  finding 
myself  in  his  faithful  arms.  He  laid  me  under  a 
tree  and  went  to  get  some  water  for  me,  and  he 
never  came  back — that  is,  I  never  saw  him  again. 
I  think  I  must  have  lost  consciousness  about  that 
time.  And  Alexander,  and  Jenkins,  and  Sander 
son,  what  became  of  them ?  Are  they  here?  " 

Muriel  sadly  shook  her  head. 

"  Poor  fellows !  "  he  whispered,  while  he  wiped 
away  a  tear  which  welled  from  his  eye  and  trickled 
down  his  cheek. 

"  Ah,  they  were  a  brave  lot,  Dr.  Jim  and  all  the 
rest !  When  we  heard  that  the  Boers  might  attack 
the  women  and  children  of  Johannesburg,  we 
started  for  that  place  at  top  speed.  Oh,  what  a 
ride  that  was !  We  hardly  left  our  saddles  the  en 
tire  time,  and  we  were  so  tired  and  sleepy  that  we 
could  hardly  keep  our  places  on  our  horses  when 
the  Boers  met  us.  We  fired  away  during  the  first 
afternoon,  but  they  had  the  advantage  of  us  be 
cause  we  were  in  the  open  and  they  were  hidden 
255 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

behind  boulders.  Then  came  the  fight  the  next 
morning.  How  that  came  out  I  don't  know. " 

"The  men  were  all  taken  prisoners,  and  they 
are  now  in  Pretoria,"  Muriel  informed  him. 

"Then  perhaps  Pat  and  Alexander  and  the 
others  are  there." 

"  It's  more  than  likely.  Now,  dear,  you  must 
quiet  yourself  and  not  think  about  these  matters 
until  you  are  stronger.  We  must  not  run  the  risk 
of  a  relapse." 

Thus  admonished,  he  lay  back  on  his  pillow 
and  closed  his  eyes.  A  peaceful  smile  played 
about  his  mouth,  but  before  long  he  was  question 
ing  her  again. 

"  But,  Muriel,  I  can't  make  out  how  you  came  to 
be  away  down  here,  and,  more  especially,  how  you 
came  to  find  me  here  in  this  little  place,"  he  per 
sisted. 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  you,  if  you'll  promise  not  to  ask 
any  more  questions  to-day  and  not  to  excite  your 
self  while  I  am  talking.  When  I  received  your 
letter,  I  realized  what  a  dear,  good  fellow  you 
were,  how  much  I  really  thought  of  you,  and  how 

much  you  must  have  sacrificed  for  my  sake.     I 
256 


A   TALE   OP   THE   AFRICAN   VELDT. 

went  and  told  Lady  Stanmore  about  it,  and  she 
suggested  a  trip  to  South  Africa — for  our  health, 
by  the  way — and  invited  several  friends,  including 
myself.  When  we  were  in  Johannesburg,  and  the 
news  of  a  possible  outbreak  was  received,  they  re 
turned  to  England,  but  I  decided  to  stay.  Some 
thing  told  me,  Jack,  that  I  would  find  you.  I  can't 
tell  you  how  I  knew  this,  but  I  felt  that  in  some 
way  we  were  certain  to  meet.  I  volunteered  to  act 
as  a  nurse,  and  a  very  good  Boer  friend  of  mine 
conducted  me  out  here  to  you. " 

"A  Boer?  "  Jack  interrupted,  with  surprise. 

"  Yes,  a  Mr.  Kooste ;  a  most  excellent  fellow, 
too.  What  I  would  have  done  but  for  him  I'm 
sure  I  do  not  know.  I  am  certain  that  but  for  his 
kindness  I  would  now  be  in  Johannesburg  instead 
of  by  your  side." 

"  And  where  would  I  have  been  if  you  had  not 
come  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Oh,  don't  speak  of  that!  It  is  enough  that  I 
came  and  did  what  I  deemed  to  be  my  duty  under 
the  circumstances.  I  was  here  nearly  a  week  be 
fore  I  discovered  you,  so  changed  had  you  become, 
and  I  only  did  for  you  what  I  tried  to  do  for  all 
257 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

the  others.  I  was  sitting  here  one  night  when  I 
heard  you  call  my  name,  or  thought  I  did,  and 
when  I  came  to  you,  you  were  muttering  a  lot  of 
incoherent  talk.  I  did  not  recognize  you  at  first, 
until  my  picture  fell  from  under  your  pillow. 
Then  I  knew  it  was  really  Jack. " 

"  Your  picture?" 

"  Yes,  it  was  under  your  pillow." 

Jack  made  a  grasp  at  his  throat,  and  then  smiled 
as  she  handed  him  the  little  picture.  "  I  missed 
it,  even  in  delirium,"  he  said.  "  I  used  to  wear 
it  around  my  neck." 

"  The  probabilities  are  that  one  of  the  nurses 
took  it  off  when  you  were  brought  in  and  placed  it 
under  your  pillow  for  safe  keeping." 

"  Well,  what  a  fortunate  circumstance  —  or, 
rather,  what  a  chain  of  fortunate  circumstances ! 
It  seems  almost  like  a  dream.  I'll  have  to  pinch 
myself  in  order  to  be  convinced  that  I'm  awake. 

"  Ah,  that  letter  you  speak  of  was  written  with 
a  sad  heart !  "  he  continued.  "  I  left  the  old  coun 
try  because  I  thought  there  was  no  hope  for  me  in 
your  affections,  and  I  could  see  no  possibility  of 
making  the  name  for  myself  which  you  seemed  to 

358 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

desire.  I  intended  to  go  back  if  I  struck  it  rich 
out  here ;  but,  as  I  told  you,  if  fortune  failed  me, 
I  would  have  perpetually  exiled  myself.  The  one 
fear  in  my  heart  was  that  before  I  could  possibly 
make  the  name  and  the  fortune  I  hoped  to  win,  some 
other  fellow — Wallace,  for  example " 

"Please  don't  mention  Wallace  again,"  she 
blushed,  placing  her  hand  over  his  mouth.  "I 
have  already  said  that  I  wouldn't  marry  such  a  lit 
tle  coxcomb  if  he  was  the  only  man  on  the  face  of 
the  earth,  and  I  would  be  otherwise  condemned  to 
an  endless  existence  as  an  old  maid." 

"But  what  could  I  do,  Muriel?  I  had  made 
neither  name  nor  fortune.  I  could  not  place  any 
definite  hope  on  succeeding  to  the  family  estates 
and  I  could  not  invite  you  to  share  a  life  where  you 
would  be  denied  the  luxuries  to  which  you  were 
accustomed. " 

"  But,  Jack,  you  knew  that  my  fortune  was 
ample  to  supply  any  deficiency." 

"  I  know,  dearest ;  but  I  could  nqt  accept  you 

on  that  basis,  could  I?     So  I  came  out  here  to 

make  my  fortune,  and,  whisper,  I  think  I've  done 

it.     Up  there  on  our  farm  just  before  I  came  away 

259 


MURIEL  STERLING. 

we  struck  a  vein  of  gold-bearing  quartz.  Just 
what  it  will  amount  to  I  do  not  know,  but  my  two 
partners  are  there  working  it,  and  as  soon  as  I  get 
well  I  intend  to  see  them.  Something  tells  me 
that  the  only  thing  left  to  complete  my  happiness 
will  be  granted,  and  that  the  strike  will  prove  a 
satisfactory  one.  I  hope  so,  dear,  for  the  sake  of 
both  of  us." 

"  Well,  so  do  I,  for  your  sake,"  she  replied,  and 
then  she  insisted  that  the  conversation  should  cease 
and  that  he  should  try  and  sleep  some  more.  The 
nurse  was  again  dominating  the  situation,  and  he 
obeyed  her  admonition  with  a  smile. 


260 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

IT  was  a  weird  congregation — that  in  the  square 
at  Krugersdorp  on  the  afternoon  of  January  2, 
1896,  and  a  part  of  the  next  day.  The  troopers 
had  been  rounded  up  like  so  many  sheep — that  is, 
those  who  had  not  been  killed  or  wounded,  and,  as 
the  jail  at  Krugersdorp  would  accommodate  only  a 
fractional  part  of  them,  the  great  majority  were 
confined  behind  a  strong  cordon  of  Boers  in  the 
public  square. 

This  was  even  better  than  being  locked  up  in 
one  of  the  two  close,  dirty  little  rooms  which  con 
stituted  the  jail,  although  it  was  attended  with 
even  greater  danger.  Still,  they  were  privileged 
to  breathe  the  fresh  air,  and  were  not  obliged  to 
make  constant  war  on  vermin.  In  these  two  par 
ticulars  the  advantage  was  on  the  side  of  those  in 
the  square. 

The  danger  which  confronted   them   was   not 

quite  so  loathsome,  although  it  was  somewhat  more 
261 


MURIEL    STERLING. 

serious.  Beyond  the  encircling  cordon  of  Boers 
could  be  seen  a  sea  of  angry,  excited  faces,  and  a 
hundred  arms  wildly  gesticulating,  and  across  the 
intervening  space  were  hurled  cries  of  "  Kill  them  !" 
or  "  Hang  them !  "  This  request  finally  became  a 
threat,  and  it  would  doubtless  have  been  carried 
into  execution  but  for  the  interference  of  the 
guards,  who,  however  much  they  may  have  sympa 
thized  with  the  desires  of  their  countrymen,  dared 
not  comply  with  the  savage  request  or  permit  the 
threats  to  be  carried  out. 

Gone  was  the  dull  stolidity  of  the  populace.  It 
was  replaced  by  an  excited  fanaticism.  They  are 
slow  to  anger,  and  equally  slow  to  forgiveness. 
There  was  in  their  manner  a  vindictiveness  amount 
ing  to  hate.  They  derided  their  captives  in  the 
bitterest  language  they  could  employ,  and  the  fact 
that  only  a  fraction  of  what  they  said  was  under 
stood  by  their  prisoners  did  not  seem  to  detract 
from  the  satisfaction  they  derived  from  giving 
utterance  to  it.  It  was  hardly  to  be  expected  that 
they  would  view  the  situation  through  English 
eyes,  and  of  the  particular  reason  which  animated 

the  raiders  in  their  wild  course  they  were  then  in 
262 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

ignorance.  At  that  time  Jameson's  dispatch  box, 
containing  the  letter  from  the  Johannesburg  com 
mittee,  begging  him  to  come  to  their  assistance, 
had  not  become  public  property.  As  the  Boers 
summed  up  the  matter,  this  was  simply  another 
assault  by  the  English  on  their  cherished  liberties 
and  an  attempt  to  subjugate  them  just  as  they  had 
subjugated  their  fathers  in  the  south  countries. 
They  believed  the  hand  of  God  was  in  the  failure, 
and  they  taunted  the  captives,  not  only  of  the  ill- 
success  of  this  attempt,  but  of  that  rankling  thorn 
in  the  British  heart  (which  is  also  the  great  pride 
of  the  Boer),  Majuba  Hill. 

Around  Jameson  they  danced  like  a  parcel  of 
demons.  Next  to  Cecil  Rhodes,  he  was  the  man 
they  most  hated,  and  now  they  had  him  in  their 
power.  They  jeered  at  him,  shook  their  fists  at 
him,  and  even  tried  to  spit  on  him.  But  calm,  un- 
noticing,  imperturbable,  greater  in  adversity  than 
he  had  been  in  prosperity,  he  pulled  his  hat  over 
his  eyes  and  nonchalantly  puffed  away  at  a  cigar 
ette.  His  coolness  was  an  inspiration  to  his  men. 
Seeing  that  he  was  not  dismayed  by  the  turn  events 

had  taken,  they,  too,  decided  to  put  a  brave  face 
263 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

on  the  matter.  A  few  of  them  were  fearful,  how 
ever. 

"What  do  you  suppose  they'll  do  with  us?" 
asked  one  white- faced  stripling. 

"Hang  us,  maybe,"  retorted  a  bronzed  veteran 
of  thirty- five,  expectorating,  as  he  withdrew  his 
pipe  from  his  mouth. 

"  Oh,  why  did  I  ever  leave  home  ? "  continued 
the  boy.  "  If  I  had  been  shot,  I  wouldn't  have 
cared  so  much ;  but  to  die  at  the  hands  of  these 
ruffians " 

"  Shut  up ! "  retorted  the  other,  glaring  savagely 
at  him.  "Don't  be  a  baby;  you  ain't  dead  yet. 
Do  you  want  to  let  them  see  that  you  are  afraid  of 
them  ?  Hush  up !  That's  what  would  please  them 
most.  What  do  you  say,  Irish  ?  " 

"Divil  a  word,"  answered  Pat. 

"  What !     Are  you  afraid,  too  ?  " 

"Well,  there  are  places  in  the  wurrld  I'd  rather 
be  nor  here." 

"  1  suppose  you'd  rather  be  on  your  estates  in 
Ireland  than  here,  eh?  " 

"  Well,  a  sight  o'  ould  Ireland  would  be  more  t' 

me  mind  than  this  place ;  but  so  far  as  estates  go, 
264 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

all  I  ever  expect  to  have  is  six  foot  o'  earth,  an'  I 
suppose  I'll  get  that  here  as  well  as  elsewhere,  al 
though  the  divil  a  bit  of  a  hurry  am  I  in  to  fore 
close  the  mortgage." 

"  Good  for  you,  Irish,"  was  the  hearty  comment, 
as  a  laugh  went  around  the  little  group  at  his 
quaint  answer. 

"  I  wouldn't  mind,"  continued  the  youngster,  de 
sirous  of  vindicating  himself,  "  if  we  hadn't  been 
caught  in  such  a  miserable  way.  Now,  we'd  have 
fought  our  way  through  if  some  of  those  people  in 
Johannesburg,  who  were  so  anxious  to  have  us  help 
them,  had  helped  themselves  by  coming  out  and 
showing  us  the  way  into  the  place." 

"  Don't  mention  them,"  retorted  the  veteran  sav 
agely.  "  They're  brave  enough  in  talk.  Let  the 

dead  past  bury  the  past.  D n  them,  they  got 

us  into  the  hole,  and  now  we'll  get  out,  if  we  get 
out  at  all,  without  asking  their  help." 

"  Yes ;  but  how  are  we  to  get  out  ?  "  asked  the 
boy. 

"  I'm  no  clairvoyant;  ask  me  something  easier," 
retorted  the  other;  "  but  I've  been  in  worse  places 

than  this  with  Dr.  Jim,  and  he's  never  failed  to 
265 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

pull  himself  out  before,  and  he  wouldn't  this  time 
but  for — pshaw!  I'm  wandering  again.  Well, 
we're  not  shot  yet,  and  before  we  are  old  Kruger 
will  have  a  word  to  say,  and  likewise  Joe  Cham 
berlain,  so " 

His  remarks  were  interrupted  by  the  command 
to  march.  The  Boers  had  formed  in  lines  on  either 
side  of  them,  the  raiders  were  arranged  in  columns 
of  fours  in  the  centre,  and  the  long  ride  to  Pre 
toria  was  begun. 

"  Have  y'  seen  anything  o'  Masther  John  ? " 
asked  Pat  of  Jenkins  as  they  proceeded. 

"Not  a  sign,"  replied  Jenkins. 

"  I'm  afeard  he's  dead, "  was  the  Irishman's  re 
joinder.  "  I  left  him  on  the  field  beyant  while  I 
went  to  get  some  wather,  an'  they  got  me  before  I 
could  get  back.  He  was  desperate  bad,  I'm  think- 
in'." 

"Perhaps  he  escaped,"  suggested  Jenkins. 
"  Some  of  the  boys  did,"  he  continued  reassur 
ingly. 

"No;  there  was  no  escape  for  him,"  was  Pat's 
mournful  reply.  "He  was  badly  hurt;  I  could 

tell  that." 

266 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  Yes,  I'm  afraid  he's  done  for,"  added  Alexan* 
der.  "  I  came  across  him  on  the  field,  just  before 
the  last  rush  was  made,  and  it  was  certainly  all 
day  with  him. " 

"P'raps  'tis  betther  so,"  continued  Pat  softly; 
"but  he  was  a  brave  man,"  he  added,  speaking 
to  himself.  "  I  hope  the  Lord  will  be  good  to 
him." 

"Why  couldn't  we  make  a  break?"  asked  the 
youngster  who  had  first  spoken.  "  Here  are  nearly 
five  hundred  of  us;  there  are  scarcely  more  of 
them.  If  we  were  to  make  a  dash  in  different 
directions,  there  would  be  hope  of  some  of  us 
reaching  Johannesburg." 

"Yes;  we  could  make  a  break,"  retorted  the 

veteran;  "but "  He  grunted  significantly 

and  resumed  his  pipe  without  deigning  to  com 
plete  his  objection  in  words. 

"  If  it  wor  a  steeplechase,  we'd  have  a  chance," 
added  Pat ;  "  but  their  bullets  could  overtake  our 
horses  very  quickly,  an'  if  wan  o'  them  said,  'Wait 
a  minute ! '  I'm  thinkin'  we'd  mind." 

"  Right  you  are,  Irish,"  grunted  the  other.    "  No, 

no;  we'll  see  how  it  ends  in  some  other  way.     It's 
267 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

time   enough  for   such  a  hopeless  attempt  when 
there  is  no  other  hope." 

And  so,  amid  a  vicious  enthusiasm,  they  entered 
Pretoria.  The  capital  was  thronged  with  Boers. 
The  news  of  the  intended  arrival  of  the  British  had 
brought  in  hundreds  and  thousands  from  the  out 
lying  farms.  They  jeered  the  raiders,  and  even 
pelted  some  of  them  with  missiles.  Finally  the 
doors  of  the  jail  closed  on  them  all. 

"No;  they  must  not  die,"  said  President 
Kruger,  rising  in  the  midst  of  his  excited  cab 
inet.  "  We  have  been  greater  than  they  in  war ; 
we'll  show  them  that  we  can  also  be  great  in 
peace." 

For  forty-eight  hours  the  old  man  had  not 
touched  his  bed.  The  sentiment  of  the  populace 
was  that  the  English  had  forfeited  all  rights  to  be 
considered  as  soldiers  of  the  Queen.  They  de 
manded  the  blood  of  the  Englishmen,  and  proba 
bly  but  for  the  determined  stand  taken  by  the  old 
President  their  demands  would  have  been  acceded 
to.  He  placed  a  heavy  guard  about  the  jail,  and 

threatened  to  punish  his  soldiers  by  forfeiting  their 
268 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

lives  if  they  permitted  any  harm  to  come  to  the 
Englishmen. 

"But  this  is  not  war,"  some  remonstrated. 
"  They  are  no  better  than  a  band  of  robbers,  who 
come  into  our  country  for  murder  and  pillage,  and 
they  deserve  no  better  treatment. " 

"  That  is  only  partly  true,"  Kruger  answered. 
"  We  now  know  that  pillage  was  not  the  motive  of 
most  of  them.  The  motives  of  the  leaders  we  do 
know,  thanks  to  the  information  we  have  been  able 
to  obtain,  and  they  shall  be  punished ;  but  these 
men  were  only  cats'  paws  to  pull  the  chestnuts  out 
of  the  fire  for  others." 

"  What  do  you  intend  to  do  with  them  ?  " 

"Release  them." 

"  Release  them  ?  "  they  asked  in  astonishment. 
"  But  that  will  be  looked  upon  as  a  sign  of  weak 
ness  rather  than  as  one  of  mercy.  We  ought  to 
inflict  some  punishment." 

"  Let  their  own  government,  whose  laws  they 
broke  before  they  broke  ours,  punish  them.  We 
will  put  the  burden  on  it  and  see  how  it  acquits 
itself." 

"Their  government  will  simply  applaud  them." 
269 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"  That  may  be,  although  I  do  not  think  so.  At 
any  rate,  it  will  compel  their  government  to  justify 
itself  in  the  eyes  of  the  world." 

"  But  are  we  to  submit  to  such  an  indignity 
without  resenting  it  ?  " 

"  No,  we  will  resent  it,  but  in  the  proper  man 
ner  and  on  the  proper  persons.  These  men  are 
not  half  so  much  to  blame  as  the  Johannesburg 
leaders,  who  induced  them  to  come  by  false  prom 
ises  and  lying  stories.  It  is  on  them  we  will  visit 
our  wrath.  They  have  calumnied  us  in  the  eyes 
of  the  world,  and  the  world  will  justify  us  in  pun 
ishing  them.  Against  them  we  have  the  positive 
proof.  We  know  who  the  leaders  are,  and  the  let 
ter  they  sent  is  now  in  our  possession  and  can  be 
used  against  them.  Let  the  matter  be  settled  in 
our  courts,  and  in  the  mean  time  let  us  turn  these 
prisoners  over  to  the  English  government. " 

But  still  some  murmured.  They  wanted  to  kill 
every  man  in  the  troop.  They  argued  that  such 
an  open  act  of  filibustering,  inasmuch  as  it  had  cost 
the  Boers  money  and  lives,  deserved  nothing  bet 
ter  than  death.  But  Kruger  was  obdurate,  and 

crafty  in  his  obduracy. 

270 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  No,"  he  said,  "  let  us  follow  the  plan  we  have 
outlined.  If  we  take  their  lives,  it  will  stir  up  in 
England  a  sentiment  against  us.  At  the  present 
time  we  have  them  in  the  wrong  and  no  sentiment 
can  justify  their  actions.  If  we  go  to  the  extreme 
lengths  in  which  we  would  be  justified,  we  may 
stir  up  a  war  for  which  we  are  not  fully  prepared. 
This  is  simply  the  preliminary  skirmish.  We  now 
know  just  what  they  want.  Let  us  wait,  and, 
when  the  time  for  battle  comes,  as  it  surely  will 
come,  we  will  be  prepared  to  fight  on  more  equal 
terms.  I  say  the  prisoners  shall  be  released." 


271 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

"  Now,  Muriel,  don't  you  think  I  am  well  enough 
to  leave  here  ?  "  asked  Jack  as  he  arose  from  his 
cot  and  limped,  with  the  assistance  of  a  cane,  to 
where  she  was  sitting. 

She  smiled  at  the  request ;  she  had  heard  it  a 
dozen  times  before ;  but  each  time  she  had  shaken 
her  head  and  had  bade  him  wait  a -little  longer. 

"  You  are  hardly  strong  enough,  dear,"  she  re 
plied.  "  Dr.  Decker  said  this  morning  that,  while 
you  might  get  along  all  right,  he  would  prefer  to 
have  you  wait  another  week.  It  is  better  not  to 
take  chances." 

"  But  I  can't  wait, "  he  replied,  with  some  impa 
tience.  "  That  letter  you  handed  me  a  few  mo 
ments  ago  contained  bad  news.  It  was  from  my 
mother.  My  brother  died  recently,  killed  by  a 
fall  from  a  horse,  and  she  wants  me  to  return  as 
soon  as  possible.  The  letter  was  sent  to  Johan 
nesburg,  and  has  been  there  a  fortnight  already. 
272 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

I  feel  that  I  ought  to  return  without  a  moment's 
delay." 

"  In  that  event,  perhaps,  it  may  be  managed  to 
have  you  start  to-day. " 

"  Have  the  doctor  arrange  it  if  you  can.  I  am 
really  quite  strong,  and  the  long  sea  voyage  will 
put  me  on  my  feet  again.  I  am  sick  of  this  place. 
I  feel  myself  growing  more  and  more  petulant 
every  day.  I  fear  that  I  have  already  sorely  tried 
your  patience  with  my  whims." 

"  No,  no,  dear ;  don't  say  that.  Since  the  mem 
bers  of  the  Ambulance  Corps  arrived,  I  have  been 
able  to  devote  myself  entirely  to  you.  My  labor 
has  been  one  of  love,  indeed,  and  it  has  been  very 
light.  I  will  not  let  you  say  that  you  were  petu 
lant.  On  the  contrary,  you  have  been  very  pa 
tient." 

Jack  glowed  with  pleasure. 

"  Well,"  he  added,  "  my  recovery  is  all  owing  to 
you ;  I  fear  that  but  for  your  care  I  never  would 
have  recovered." 

"  Oh,  yes,  you  would !"  she  protested. 

"  Well,  not  in  such  a  short  space  of  time,"  he 
obstinately  persisted.  "  I  can't  tell  you  how  much 
273 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

your  presence  has  aided  me,  Muriel ;  it  has  been  a 
tonic  to  simply  look  at  you." 

"  Oh,  you  flatterer ! "  she  said,  and  then  went  to 
find  Dr.  Deeker.  The  doctor  at  first  shook  his 
head ;  but  finally,  when  the  situation  was  fully  ex 
plained  to  him,  consented,  on  condition  that  Muriel 
should  go  with  him. 

"I  will  accompany  him  as  far  as  Johannesburg," 
she  said,  "  or  perhaps  to  Cape  Town.  Then  I  will 
await  some  friends  and  return  with  them." 

"  Return  with  them  ?"  asked  Jack  in  surprise. 
"And  what  am  I  to  do — return  alone?  " 

"  The  ship's  doctor  will  see  that  you  are  well 
cared  for,"  said  Dr.  Deeker.  "  I  think  there  will 
be  no  danger  once  you  are  in  his  care." 

"  But  are  you  going  to  desert  me,  Muriel?  Am 
I  again  to  leave  you  behind  ?  " 

"  Hush,  dear ;  I  would  gladly  go,  but  it  would 
hardly  be  proper,  you  know,  and  it  is  better  that 
you  should  not  wait  for  me  since  your  departure  is 
so  urgent. " 

"  Bother  the  proprieties,"  he  growled.  "  I  hadn't 
thought  of  that."  He  was  silent  for  a  moment, 

and  then  he  broke  out  with :  "  Muriel,  why  may 
274 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

we  not  be  married  here,  and  then  go  back  on  our 
honeymoon  ? " 

"  Here — in  Krugersdorp  ?  " 

"No;  in  Johannesburg.  Why  need  we  wait 
until  we  go  back  to  England  ?  The  rector  there 
can  marry  us,  and  we  need  not  delay  until  we  reach 
home.  Besides,  if  we  were  to  have  a  grand  wed 
ding,  we  could  scarcely  do  so  without  another  in 
terval  of  time,  because  of  my  brother's  recent 
death." 

"  I  want  no  grand  wedding,"  said  Muriel  softly. 
"  I  have  lost  all  ambitions  in  that  line.  I  would 
not  consent  to  one  under  any  conditions.  I  have 
so  changed  since  I  came  here  that  a  great  display 
would  be  simply  odious  now.  Let  us  be  married 
as  quietly  as  possible. " 

"  Then  why  not  by  the  rector  at  Johannesburg  ?  " 

"  But  the  time  is  so  short,  and  there  is  hardly 
anybody  there  whom  we  know. " 

"  We  know  Kooste,  for  one.  After  all  he  has 
done  in  your  behalf — and  in  mine,  too — there  is 
no  one  whom  I  would  rather  have  as  my  best  man. 
And  you — can't  you  think  of  somebody  who  would 

be  acceptable  to  you  ?  " 

275 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"  I  suppose  the  rector's  wife  would  be  very  glad 
to  assist  me,  for  that  matter;  and  I'm  sure  there  is 
no  one  in  this  country  I  would  prefer." 

"  Then  why  not  let  us  arrange  it  on  that  basis  ?  " 
asked  Jack  eagerly.  "  This  concerns  us  most  of 
all.  Why  need  we  consider  others?  With  a 
grand  wedding  we  might  overlook  some,  and 
thereby  give  offence.  Here  we  cannot  be  consid 
ered  as  doing  anything  of  the  sort,  under  the  cir 
cumstances." 

"  But  I  have  no  trousseau,"  she  laughingly  ob 
jected. 

"  I'll  pass  all  that,  if  you  will.  For  my  part, 
there  is  no  trousseau  of  which  I  shall  ever  be  so 
proud  as  I  am  of  this  little  uniform  you  wear  as  a 
nurse." 

"Very  well,  dear;  as  you  will.  I  fancy  that  I 
will  be  able  to  make  a  presentable  appearance  after 
I  have  rummaged  through  my  trunks,  which  are 
still  at  the  rector's,  and  you " 

"  And  I,"  he  broke  in  with  a  laugh.  "  Well, 
you're  not  marrying  a  suit  of  clothes,  and  I  am  not 
wedding  a  trousseau.  We'll  call  all  that  settled, 

and  I  fancy  that  by  settling  it  so  easily  we  will 
276 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

have  saved  ourselves  a  lot  of  anxiety,  which  would 
otherwise  be  our  lot  to  bear." 

And  so  it  was  arranged.  The  journey  to  Johan 
nesburg  was  made  without  difficulty.  Jack  de 
clared  that  he  was  not  at  all  fatigued;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  quite  "fit,"  a  little  expression  of  his  own, 
which  he  had  made  use  of  time  and  again  in  the 
hospital  when  Muriel,  making  her  daily  rounds,  in 
quired  as  to  his  condition.  The  rector  was  some 
what  appalled  by  the  suddenness  of  the  notice,  but 
added  that  the  task  assigned  to  him  would  be 
neither  a  long  nor  a  difficult  one.  Kooste  felt 
that  he  was  complimented  in  being  selected  as  as 
sistant,  and  the  rector's  wife  was  likewise  happy 
when  Muriel  requested  her  presence. 

The  ceremony  was  performed  early  the  next 
morning,  and  there  were  only  five  persons  con 
cerned  in  it  directly,  but  no  grand  wedding,  with 
all  the  attending  pomp  of  Parisian  creations,  flow 
ers,  music,  and  admiring  hundreds,  could  have  pro 
duced  more  than  a  fraction  of  the  happiness  that 
was  evident  upon  that  simple  occasion.  They 
lunched  with  the  rector  and  his  wife,  and  that 

afternoon  took  the  train  for  Cape  Town,  after  ascer- 
277 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

taining  that  by  so  doing  they  would  be  able 
to  make  close  connections  with  one  of  the  fast 
steamers. 

"Who  do  you  think  I  have  just  seen,  Muriel? " 
asked  Jack  as  he  entered  the  railroad  carriage,  after 
having  left  her  for  a  few  moments  in  order  to  make 
some  slight  purchases.  Muriel  couldn't  think,  and 
said  so. 

"  Harrington,  my  American  partner,"  continued 
Jack,  answering  his  own  question.  "He  arrived 
in  the  city  yesterday,  having  come  down  to  see  if 
he  could  get  some  clew  to  my  whereabouts.  Some 
one  told  him  I  had  just  started  for  the  station,  and 
he  came  after  me.  He  was  almost  out  of  breath 
from  running,  and  I  had  but  a  minute  in  which  to 
talk.  He  told  me  that  the  mine  promised  good 
results,  and  I  requested  him  to  return  at  once, 
after  getting  some  supplies  needed  in  the  camp, 
promising  to  organize  a  company  when  I  reached 
London  and  supply  the  machinery  which  will 
be  necessary  to  develop  the  mine.  I  have  here 
some  samples  which  he  brought  along.  Harring 
ton  says  they  are  excellent,  and  that  he  has  no 

doubt  the  mine  will  be  a  success.     I  will  have 
278 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

them  analyzed  when  I  return,  and  if  the  analysis 
is  satisfactory,  I  fancy  I  shall  have  no  difficulty  in 
finding  the  necessary  money  to  enable  the  boys  to 
work  the  find.  It  seems  the  wheel  of  fortune  has 
been  given  another  whirl,  and  that  I  am  again  on 
top. " 

"I  am  so  glad — for  your  sake,"  said  Muriel 
softly. 

"And  I — for  yours,"  answered  Jack. 

At  Cape  Town  they  found  a  steamer  just  ready 
to  start.  They  transferred  their  belongings  with 
out  difficulty,  and  in  a  few  hours  the  steady  throb 
of  the  machinery  told  them  that  they  were  head 
ing  for  England. 

"  I  wish  I  knew  what  had  become  of  Alexander 
and  Pat  and  all  the  others,"  said  Jack  meditatively. 
"  I  heard  that  a  number  of  them  were  killed  and 
were  buried  in  one  of  the  spruits  on  the  field.  The 
others  were  taken  to  Pretoria;  but  who  is  living 
and  who  is  dead  I  could  not  find  out.  No  commu 
nication  was  allowed.  For  a  few  days  the  whole 
country  was  cut  off  from  the  outside  world.  Just 
before  I  left  I  was  informed  that  there  was  a  rumor 
that  they  were  all  to  be  released  and  sent  as  pris- 
279 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

oners  to  Cape  Town.  I  could  not  wait  to  verify 
it,  however.  Poor  fellows !  I  would  wait  and  as 
sist  them  if  I  felt  I  could  be  of  any  service." 

They  were  glad  to  get  away  from  Johannesburg. 
This  overgrown  mining  city  now  represented  to 
them  little  that  was  pleasant,  and  much  that  was 
painful.  A  cordon  of  Boer  soldiers  surrounded  it, 
and  its  internal  affairs  were  in  a  state  of  panic. 
Kruger  had  carried  out  his  word,  in  ordering  the 
arrest  of  some  of  the  leaders  of  the  movement 
which  resulted  in  Jameson's  raid,  and  had  com 
pletely  terrified  the  populace.  Even  at  that  day 
there  were  fears  that  he  would  order  the  bombard 
ment  of  the  city.  The  arms  and  ammunition  which 
had  been  so  carefully  smuggled  into  the  city  had 
been  deposited  with  the  high  commissioner;  but 
the  Boers  grumbled  that  some  of  these  were  being 
held  by  the  Outlanders,  and  were  angry.  The  bat 
tery  which  had  been  placed  on  the  heights  re 
mained  there  still.  No  one  could  tell  who  would 
be  the  next  victim  of  arrest.  One  by  one  the  mem 
bers  of  the  committee  had  been  taken,  and  every 
body  stood  in  fear.  Even  in  their  own  homes  the 

people  spoke  in  subdued  terms.     Spies  were  every- 
280 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

where.  Some  of  the  more  venturesome  of  the 
fugitives  had  come  back;  but  the  old  order  of 
things  had  not  returned.  The  uprising  had  been 
simply  a  fiasco.  There  was  no  question  but  that 
President  Kruger  had  won  the  trick  from  them. 
All  their  carefully  planned  schemes  had  failed. 
That  fact  settled  the  whole  question.  Success 
commends  a  cause,  however  weak  in  merit ;  fail 
ure  simply  condemns  it. 

Whatever  others  may  have  thought,  there  were 
two  persons  on  the  steamer  who  felt  that  the  trip 
was  a  very  short  one  when  the  chalky  cliffs  of 
England  loomed  up  before  them  one  morning. 
Nevertheless,  they,  too,  were  glad  to  welcome  the 
sight. 

"The  last  time  I  saw  them  my  heart  was  heavy," 
said  Jack  as  he  drew  Muriel  to  the  rail.  "  I  did 
not  dare  to  hope  that  in  this  short  space  of  time  I 
would  be  able  to  look  upon  them — and  with  you, 
too — you,  whom  I  left  in  England." 

"  Yes,  and,  when  I  saw  them  last,  there  were 
tears  in  my  eyes.  Now,  if  there  are  tears  there, 
they  are  tears  of  gladness." 

"Well,    well,"    continued    Jack,   ruminatively, 
281 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"  what  a  strange  world  is  this.  The  Lord  seems 
to  order  things  to  suit  purposes  which  are  alto 
gether  beyond  our  conception,  and  yet  his  plans 
work  out  for  the  best,  after  all.  When  I  left  here, 
I  was  a  poor  fellow,  going  out  into  the  world  sim 
ply  as  an  adventurer.  Now  I  return  a  prospectively 
wealthy  man  as  a  result  of  these  efforts,  and  I  am 
also  Lord  Derrington;  and  you,  Muriel,  you  are 
Lady  Derrington.  Have  you  thought  of  that?" 

"  Yes ;  I  have  thought  of  it,  and  I  am  glad  of  it 
for  your  sake ;  but  it  would  mean  nothing  to  me  if 
you  were  not  my  husband.** 

Whereat  he  kissed  her. 


283 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

IT  was  March  in  old  England,  and  the  blush  of 
spring  was  visible  on  every  hand.  Nowhere  was 
the  prospect  more  beautiful  than  at  Derrington 
Hall,  where  Jack  was  now  master  of  the  estates 
and  successor  to  the  title,  owing  to  the  death  of 
his  brother.  At  the  Hall,  whose  windows  twinkled 
with  the  reflection  of  hundreds  of  lights,  the  mas 
ter  and  mistress  were  entertaining  at  dinner  a  party 
of  their  intimate  friends.  In  addition  to  his 
mother  and  sister  and  other  relatives,  there  was 
Muriel,  now  Lady  Derrington,  Lord  and  Lady 
Stanmore,  Lord  Popham,  Mr.  Weiss,  Georgia  Dare 
and  Clara  St.  John — yes,  even  Kooste,  whose  usual 
gravity  had  been  penetrated  by  the  animation  of 
the  scene,  and  who  joined  in  the  fun  as  heartily  as 
the  best  of  them.  Apparently  the  animosity  of 
the  recent  conflict  had  vanished ;  but  it  was  still  a 
popular  topic  of  conversation — indeed,  it  may  be 

said  to  have  been  the  sole  topic. 
283 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

"  Wonder  what  our  old  friends  in  Johannesburg 
are  doing  now?  "  asked  Miss  St.  John. 

"  Digging  golt,  proberly,"  answered  Mr.  Weiss. 

"  Yes ;  I  imagine  they  haven't  wasted  a  great 
deal  of  time  in  getting  down  to  business  again. 
No  doubt  old  Kruger  has  made  it  cost  some  of 
them  a  pretty  penny,  and  will  see  that  others  are 
properly  taxed.  Well,  those  of  us  who  dance  must 
be  expected  to  be  called  upon  to  pay  the  piper. 
When  I  think  of  what  might  have  been " 

"  Oh,  let  us  not  worry  about  the  might  have 
beens ! "  coaxed  Muriel.  "  Let  us  talk  of  what  is." 

"I  am  satisfied  to  contemplate  what  is,"  re 
sponded  Jack,  with  a  beaming  smile  at  the  blush 
ing  figure  by  his  side.  "  But  what  was,  and  what 
might  have  been,  are  so  intimately  associated 
with  it  that  I  occasionally  find  myself  wandering 
from  that  particular  subject  and  speculating  on  the 
others.  Now,  if  we  had  reached  Johannesburg  that 
day " 

"  That's  the  trouble  with  the  might  have  beens," 
interrupted  Muriel.  " There  is  always  an  'if 
somewhere  about  them." 

"  Yes ;  but  if  there  had  been  no  '  if  in  the  mat- 
284 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

ter,  it  may  be  that  we  would  not  be  here  to-night. 
'  If '  I  had  not  been  wounded,  and  '  if  '  I  had  not 
been  taken  to  the  hospital,  I  might  not  have  met 
you,  and  '  if '  you  had  not  gone  out  to  the  hospital, 
I  might  not  be  here  to-night. " 

"  There  you  are  again !  Haven't  I  told  you  not 
to  exaggerate  my  importance !  " 

"  To  do  that  would  be  impossible,  Lord  Derring- 
ton,"  remarked  Kooste.  "  If  that  were  the  only 
thing  to  commend  your  wife,  that  act  alone  would 
mark  her  as  one  woman  out  of  a  thousand.  When 
I  think  of  that  wild  ride  that  night,  and  of  all  the 
incidents  associated  with  it,  I  sometimes  wonder  if 
it  was  a  reality  and  if  I  did  not  dream  it." 

"What  do  you  think  of  the  '  ifs,'  Kooste?" 
asked  Jack. 

"  So  far  as  the  raid  was  concerned,  I  think  that 
if  the  troopers  had  reached  Johannesburg  (and  they 
came  dangerously  near  doing  that),and  if  the  control 
of  events  could  have  been  left  in  Jameson's  hands, 
there  would  be  no  South  African  Republic  to-day. 
It  would  have  been  a  fight  to  the  death,  but  the 
Transvaal  would  probably  by  this  time  have  be 
come  an  English  dominion.  I  need  give  no  offence, 
285 


MURIEL    STERLING. 

I  think,  in  saying  that  personally  I  am  very  glad 
you  did  not  succeed ;  but  if,  when  you  had  reached 
there,  you  had  not  stopped  to  analyze  some  of  the 
stories  which  induced  Jameson  to  start,  there 
would  have  been — well,  I  shudder  to  think  of  all 
the  other  '  ifs,'  "  he  concluded.  "  Let  us  talk  of 
something  more  pleasant." 

"  How  about  my  stock  in  the  Anglo-Saxon 
Mine?"  asked  Lord  Popham.  "Shall  I  sell  or 
would  you  advise  me  to  hold  on  to  it  ?  " 

"  Hold  on  to  it,  by  all  means,"  replied  Jack  joy 
ously.  "  By  the  way,  I  received  a  letter  from  Har 
rington  to-day,  and  the  mine  is  '  booming/  to  quote 
his  original  phrase.  As  soon  as  our  machinery  is 
set  up,  there  will  be  millions  in  it.  What's 
that  ?  "  he  asked  of  the  butler,  who  had  whispered 
something  to  him.  "  Oh,  tell  him  I  can't  see  him 
to-night ! "  he  added,  with  a  touch  of  impatience. 
"  Ask  him  if  he  can't  come  around  in  the  morn 
ing?" 

"  Yes,  my  lord,"  replied  the  old  functionary,  re 
treating  from  the  room,  only  to  return  in  a  mo 
ment.  "He  says  he  must  see  you,  my  lord,  and 

will  not  leave  until  he  does. " 
286 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  Must  see  me  ?     He's  devilish  persistent." 

"  Yes ;  he  says  it  is  as  important  that  you  should 
see  him  as  it  is  that  he  should  see  you. " 

"  Well,  he's  a  cheeky  chap  to  attempt  to  dictate 
in  my  affairs.  You  say  he's  a  rough- looking  fel 
low?  Did  he  give  you  his  name?  " 

"Yes,  my  lord.  He  told  me  to  say  that 
'  Pathrick  O'Hara,  Esquire,  late  of  the  survice  of 
Masther  John  Derrington,  later  of  Dr.  Jim's  throop- 
ers,  and  later  of  Pretoria  prison,  was  beyant,'  ' 
added  the  butler,  with  a  funny  imitation  of  an 
Irish  brogue. 

"What?"  they  all  cried  in  unison,  each  one 
springing  to  his  or  her  feet. 

"Show  him  in,  by  all  means!"  yelled  Jack. 
"Show  him  in!" 

A  moment  later  and  the  butler  had  announced 
"Pathrick  O'Hara,  Esquire,"  and  Pat  himself  was 
standing  in  the  doorway. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sur,"  he  began,  with  a 
bow  to  the  floor.  "  Shure  I  thought,  sur — that  is, 
I  didn't  know,  sur,  that " 

"  Never  mind  what  you  thought  and  what  you 

didn't  know!"  cried  Jack,  almost  embracing  his 
287 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

faithful  follower.  "  Come  in  here  and  tell  us  what 
you  do  know.  That's  what  I  want  to  hear;  that's 
what  we  all  want  to  hear,  isn't  it?  "  he  asked,  ap 
pealing  to  the  gathering  around  the  table. 

"  Yes,  yes, "  was  the  excited  reply. 

"  First  of  all  let  me  introduce  you  to  your  new 
mistress,"  he  added,  at  which  the  abashed  Pat 
made  another  of  his  low  bows  and  mumbled  some 
thing  about  "Y'r  sarvent,  y'r  ladyship."  It  was 
followed  by  an  introduction  to  all  the  other's  in  the 
simple  statement  that  "  This  is  Pat,"  which  was 
sufficient  to  thoroughly  identify  him. 

"  Come  now,  you  old  rascal,  tell  us  all  about  your 
self  and  how  you  happened  to  desert  me  when  I 
needed  you,"  continued  Jack,  banteringly.  "  How 
was  it  that  you  happened  to  leave  my  service  ?  " 

"  Faith,  sir,  'tis  little  I  thought  I'd  ever  come 
back  to  it  again,"  said  Pat,  softly,  brushing  his 
sleeve  across  his  eyes.  "  Oh,  but  'tis  me  that  is 
glad  t'  see  ye,  agin,  sur.  Many's  the  day  I  wun- 
dhered  what  had  become  of  ye.  'Tis  only  since  I 
r'ached  ould  England  that  I  heard  that  you  was 
back  agin,  forninst  me.  As  soon  as  those  divilish 

Dutchmen  let  me  go,  y'  couldn't  see  my  heels  for 

288 


A  TALE  OP  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

dust  until  I  struck  a  ship  to  take  me  home,  an', 
sure,  the  sthory  I  had  to  tell  was  that  I  had  left  ye 
for  dead  out  there." 

"  Oh,  ho !  Well,  you  see  I  am  worth  a  good 
many  dead  men  yet,"  said  Jack,  trying  to  hilari 
ously  conceal  the  emotion  which  he  felt. 

"Thanks  be  to  God  for  that,  sur." 

"To  that  I'll  say  '  Amen,'  Pat,"  replied  Jack, 
gravely.  "  It's  not  much  of  a  subject  for  joking; 
but  come,  tell  us  about  yourself." 

"  Well,  sur,  shure  an'  there's  not  much  t'  tell. 
Shure,  afther  those  two  days  of  ridin'  I  felt  as  if  I 
looked  like  a  clothespin,  so  I  did,  an'  whin  those 
Dutchmen  began  to  fire  at  us,  faith  I  fired  away, 
p'intin'  this  way  an*  that  way,  whenever  I  saw  a 
head,  just  like  a  man  at  a  Donnybrook  fair. 
Finally  I  saw  yerself  fall  from  yer  horse.  '  The 
Lord  bechune  us  an'  all  har-r-m,'  says  I,  '  there's 
the  masther's  fell  from  his  horse. '  With  that  I 
jumped  down  and  ran  to  where  ye  were.  '  Are  y' 
much  hurt,  sur  ? '  says  I.  '  Oh,  it's  nothin' — nothin' 
at  all,'  says  you,  '  but  I  wish  ye'd  bring  me  some 
wather,  Pat,'  says  y'.  I  c'd  see  that  y'  was  badly 

hit,  sur,  for  y'  closed  y'r  eyes  while  y'  was  talkin' 
289 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

an'  y'r  voice  was  tired  like,  an'  y'r  face  was  as 
white — as  white  as  that  table-cloth,  sur.  It 
pinched  me  heart  t'  lave  ye,  sur,  but  I  thought  the 
wather  would  help  y',  an'  so  I  made  a  piller  from 
me  coat  an'  fixed  it  undher  y'r  head,  an'  off  I  ran 
to  a  little  brook  nearby.  Divil  a  thing  had  I  t' 
carry  th'  wather  but  me  hat,  but  I  filled  that  an' 
was  on  me  way  back  whin  a  loto'  thimwild  Dutch 
men  rode  over  me  an'  picked  me  up  an'  carried  me 
off  with  them.  I  tould  them  all  about  y',  but  the 
blaggards  pretended  they  didn't  know  what  I  was 
sayin',  an'  in  spite  o'  all  I  c'd  do  or  say,  they  tuk 
me  off  with  them  to  Pretoria.  Faith,  sur,  many's 
the  time  I  thought  o'  y'  since,  lyin'  there  with  the 
blood  showin'  through  y'r  shirt  an'  y'r  face  like 
that  o'  a  corpse,  an'  shure  I  thought  y'  must  have 
died  on  the  field.  Oh,  God  knows,  sur,  but  'tis 
me  that  is  glad  to  see  y'  agin,"  he  concluded,  and 
the  tears  which  stood  in  his  eyes  found  sympa 
thetic  wells  in  the  eyes  of  the  others  present. 
"Yes,  yes,"  said  Jack,  "and  what,  then?" 
"  What  thin  ?  Divil  a  much,  sur !  They  dhrove 
us  to  Pretoria  like  a  lot  o'  sheep,  an'  kep'  us  there, 

an'  thin  they  said  we  was  a  lot  o'  omadhauns  as 
290 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

didn't  know  no  betther,  an'  they  let  us  go.  Well, 
sur,  as  soon  as  we  could  we  left  the  blasthed  coun- 
thry  behind  us  an'  went  t'  the  Cape,  an'  there  we 
shipped  for  ould  England.  I  thought  y'r  mother 
would  like  to  know  about  y',  an'  that  was  me  arrand 
here,  although  I  was  much  throubled  in  me  mind 
as  to  how  I  would  tell  her.  Finally  I  made  bould 
an'  came  up  to  the  dure.  Who  should  open  it  but 
Mary  Doyle — beggin'  y'r  pardin,  ma'am,  Marie 
D'Oyle,  I  believe,  is  her  right  name. 

"  '  Fur  the  love  o'  God,  Pat  O'Hara,  an'  is  that 
yersel'  ? '  says  she. 

"  '  Tis  no  wan  else,'  says  I,  as  sthiff  as  y'  plaze. 

" '  Wirra,  Pat,  but  'tis  me  that  is  glad  t'  see  ye,' 
says  she,  throwin'  her  arms  about  me  neck  an'  hug- 
gin'  me  till  I  was  red  in  the  face  from  the  chokin'. 

" '  Oh,  the  masther '  says  I,  breakin'  down 

intirely.  I  wanted  t'  tell  her,  but  divil  a  wurrd 
c'd  I  sphake. 

"  *  He's  up  above,'  said  she,  sphakin'  softly  like. 

"'I  hope  so,'  says  I.  *  Faith  he  desarves  a 
place  with  the  angels,'  says  I. 

"  With  that  she  shrieked  with  laffin'  as  if  her 

sides  w'd  bursht.     Faith,  I  thought  she  had  gone 
291 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

looney  altogether,  an'  says  I,  'May  God  bechune 
us  an'  all  har-rm,  but  the  gir-rl  is  as  crazy  as  a  ban 
shee.'  With  that  she  bursht  out  int'  some  more 
laffin',  an'  finally  I  got  mad  at  her.  '  Shame  on 
y','  says  I.  '  How  dar  y'  laugh  at  sich  a  thing? 
Shame  on  y' !  Y'd  dance  on  y'r  mother's  coffin.' 
With  that  she  sthuffed  her  aprin  in  her  mouth, 
an'  finally,  to  make  a  long  sthory  short,  she  says, 
says  she,  '  Yes,  Pat,  he's  up  above,  an'  he's  with 
an  angel,  too.  Go  up,'  says  she,  '  'tis  he  that  will 
wantt'  see  ye.'  With  that  I  sushpected  that  there 
was  a  cat  in  the  male  somewhere,  an'  finally  she 
told  me  as  how  y'  had  come  back  alive,  thank  God ! 
I  was  so  overj'yed  that  whin  the  butler  man  came 
back  an'  told  me  y'  was  busy,  I  couldn't  go  away 
until  I  had  seen  y',  an',  faith,  I  tole  him  so,  as 
gran'  as  the  lord  lootinant  o'  Ireland,  for  which  I 
ax  y'r  pardin',  sur,  for  Mary  didn't  tell  me  that 
there  was  a  dinner  party,  or  I'd  have  waited. 
That's  all  there  is  to  it,  sur." 

For  a  moment  no  one  spoke.  The  recital  of  the 
faithful  fellow,  and  his  devotion  to  his  master,  had 
brought  tears  in  place  of  the  laughter  which  greeted 

his  narration  of  his  encounter  with  Mary  Doyle. 
292 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

"  If  you  had  gone  away,  Pat,  I  never  would  have 
forgiven  you,"  retorted  Jack.  "Old  fellow,  I'll 
never  forget  all  that  you  tried  to  do  and  all  that 
you  did.  Let  me  welcome  you  to  Derrington  Hall. 
As  long  as  a  roof  shelters  my  head,  that  roof  shall 
be  shared  with  you ;  and  as  for  Mary  Doyle,"  he 
added,  "  I'll  see  that  my  wife  fixes  up  that  little 
matter. " 

"  Thank  y'  kindly,  sur,  but  'tis  meself  as  thinks 
as  it  is  already  fixed,"  blushed  Pat,  twirling  his 
hat  on  his  thumb  and  keeping  his  eyes  on  that 
operation  in  juggling  as  if  it  was  a  matter  of 
life  and  death  to  see  that  the  hat  was  kept  spin 
ning.  "  Shure,  whin  she  hugged  me,  I  hugged  her 
back.  'Will  McGinnis  mind?'  says  I.  '  An' 
what  if  he  does  ? '  says  she.  '  Faith,  I  don'  know, ' 
says  I ;  *  but  when  I  left  y',  y'  was  in  a  fair  way  to 
swap  y'r  name  for  his,'  says  I.  'Divil  a  fear  o'  it/ 
says  she,  tossin'  her  head  in  the  air  an'  tiltin'  back 
that  pug  nose  o*  hers.  '  I'd  rather  be  called 
O'Hara  any  way.  Shure,  the  O'Haras  were  kings 
o'  Ireland,'  says  she;  an'  what  c'd  I  say  but  ap 
prove  her  ch'ice?  So,  sur,"  he  concluded,  "if 
Mary  can  sthay  as  the  maid  o'  the  misthress, 
293 


MURIEL   STERLING. 

'twould  tickle  me  heart  to  sthay  as  the  man  o'  the 
masther. " 

"  Then  tickle  your  heart  at  once,  lad,"  said  Jack, 
heartily.  "  And,  now,  I  call  on  you  for  a  toast  in 
honor  of  old  times." 

"  A  toast,  sur !  Shure  I  know  nothin  o'  what  t' 
say." 

"  Never  mind.     Say  anything. " 

"  'Twouldn't  do  for  me  t'  say :  '  Here's  t'  ye  as 
good  as  ye  are,  an'  here's  t'  me  as  bad  as  I  am ; 
for  as  good  as  ye  are,  an'  as  bad  as  I  am,  I'm  as 
good  as  ye  are,  as  bad  as  I  am.'  No,  that  wouldn't 
do  at  all,  would  it  ?  And  yet  that's  the  only  one  I 
remember." 

"No,  that  won't  do,"  said  Jack,  shaking  with 
laughter.  "  Here,  pledge  us  to  whatever  is  upper 
most  in  your  mind." 

"  Well,  sur,  th'  one  person  uppermost  in  my  mind 
is  one  that's  now  in  sore  disthress,  from  which  I 
hope  he  will  come  out  wid  flyin'  colors.  Faith,  I 
c'n  see  him  now  wid  the  bullets  flyin'  all  around 
him,  ridin'  here  an'  there  to  cheer  up  the  boys,  an' 
I  c'n  see  him  agin  whin  we  wuz  all  prisoners  an' 

in  the  dumps,  thinkin'  that  we  might  be  shot  the 
294 


A  TALE  OF  THE  AFRICAN  VELDT. 

nex'  minute,  goin'  around  whisperin' :  '  Buck  up, 
boys ! '  God  bless  him !  I  don'  know  much  about 
toasts,  sur,  but  if  I  may  ask  ye  to  dhrink  to  any 
body,  this  is  my  toast :  '  To  Dr.  Jim !  " 

"  To  Dr.  Jim ! "  they  all  replied,  with  a  cheer. 

"  And  now,  let  us  say  good  night.  The  hour  is 
late  and  we  are  excited  by  the  news  Pat  has  brought 
us.  To-morrow  we  will  listen  to  the  rest  of  the 
story,"  remonstrated  Jack. 

"One  moment,"  interrupted  Lady  Stanmore. 
"We  have  all  pledged  toasts  this  evening,  but  the 
master  of  the  house  remains  to  be  heard  from.  I 
move  that  he  be  called  upon  for  a  final  toast." 

"Yes,  yes;  a  toast,"  they  urged. 

Jack  arose  and  glanced  at  the  enthusiastic  little 
group,  standing,  with  uplifted  glasses,  around  the 
table,  awaiting  his  announcement.  From  one  to 
the  other  his  gaze  went,  as  if  trying  to  find  an  idea 
for  appropriate  expression.  His  eyes  were  moist 
with  the  happiness  of  the  occasion. 

"Hark!"  he  said,  raising  a  warning  finger  as 
the  strains  of  the  orchestra  in  the  conservatory 
came  softly  to  his  ears.  "There's  my  inspira 
tion.  Ah,  my  heart  has  changed  since  last  I  heard 
295 


MURIEL    STERLING. 

that  air !  Then  I  was  taking  a  last  view  of  old 
England,  not  daring  to  hope  that  I  would  ever  see 
it  again ;  and  the  ship's  band  added  to  my  sadness 
by  playing  that  tune.  To-night  it  puts  the  climax 
on  my  happiness.  Listen!  Do  you  hear  it? 
Friends  all,"  he  concluded,  lifting  his  glass  and 
bowing  to  his  wife,  "  I  pledge  you — '  The  Girl  I 
Left  Behind  Me!'" 


THE  END. 


296 


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LIBRARY,  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  DAVIS 

Book  Slip-70m-9,'65(F7151s4)458 


N°  443210 


PS 3519 

Jewell,  A.  E83 

Muriel  Sterling.         M8 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


